Bekasi Red Cross angered by inflated blood fee cost

JAKARTA (JP): The Bekasi chapter of the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) is infuriated by a report that a local private hospital has inflated its blood service fee almost fivefold, to Rp 170,000 (US$21) per 300 cc bag of blood.

Salma Hasyim, chief of the Bekasi Red Cross blood transfusion section, called on private hospitals to refrain from raising blood service fees.

"We (local PMI) have never asked for a fee higher than the level set by the Greater Jakarta Red Cross headquarters," he said, reported Antara.

Greater Jakarta Red Cross raised last month the service fee from Rp 12,000 per bag to Rp 17,500 at state hospitals and from Rp 32,000 to Rp 52,500 at private hospitals.

In Bekasi, the fee was raised to Rp 35,000 from Rp 15,000 per blood bag.

"Why further raise the fee which has been officially raised?" he said.

Salma said no hospital should have raised the service fee in this time of crisis because it would only aggravate people's hardship.

He refused to name the private hospital which illegally increased the fee.

The service fee is aimed at covering the cost of blood treatment after it is taken from the donor, such as testing for the Human Immunodeficiency Virus and Hepatitis.

The economic crisis has catapulted medical costs, especially dialyses. PMI officials have also reported a drop in the number of donors over the past several months.

Deputy chairman of Jakarta PMI, Kristianto Budiono, said the number of blood donors had dropped drastically from an average 200 per month to less than half that between November last year and February this year.

The state insurance company, PT Askes, has become a target of criticism for providing only Rp 17,500 for the blood service fee. The patient has to pay the rest.

Salma said PT Askes should review the policy because Rp 17,500 was too small considering prices have been flying high.

"It doesn't make sense. PT Askes will pay all the cost for dialyses, which is much more expensive, but not the blood service fee," he said. "Remember, members have their salaries deducted every month for health care."

Salma also said Bekasi PMI's blood transfusion section needs more personnel because the existing five people were not enough.

"Ideally, the section should be manned by eight people because it is open 24 hours a day," he said. (pan)