Patna: The health department is set to review if processing fee on various components of blood can be waived off in its blood banks.

Principal secretary Sanjay Kumar said at present, if a person is hospitalised in a government hospital, the government's blood bank doesn't charge a processing fee for blood units, but a patient admitted in a private hospital has to submit a processing fee and replacement blood units if s/he approaches the government blood banks.

"If a government hospital patient's attendants approach the blood bank, they only have to give replacement blood, but in Monday's Lok Samvad, chief minister Nitish Kumar gave directions to review if processing fee on various components of blood can be waived off in all government blood banks on the lines of a Jharkhand government decision," he added. "After reviewing the plan, we have to take a call. Social activist Mukesh Hissariya had put up this proposal in Samvad."

"While the donated blood is free, there are significant costs associated with collecting, testing, preparing components, labelling and storage for which the processing fee is charged," a health official said on condition of anonymity.

According to a new notification, thalassemia and haemophilia patients have to be provided blood without any replacement blood donor, processing fee, with ensured free blood transfusion.

Hissariya told The Telegraph that he raised the matter of the state blood transfusion council not meeting for three years. "I raised the point why Rs 5,000 motivation fee was not being given to beneficiaries for providing 35 units of blood collected from some blood camps," he said.