The Ministry of Health and Population has drafted a proposal to set mandatory prices for units of blood and blood products sold to the public, aiming to curb sharp price gaps between public and private providers and prevent patient exploitation, two ministry sources familiar with the plan told Al Manassa.
If approved by the Cabinet, a unit of blood would cost 600 Egyptian pounds ($11) at public hospitals and 1,300 pounds ($24) at private-sector providers, the two sources said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The proposal follows a technical study by ministry experts to determine the actual cost and allow investors a fair profit margin while the state continues to subsidize care for citizens.
A source at the Blood Services Monitoring Council told Al Manassa the price gap reflects state subsidies at public hospitals, allowing patients who cannot afford private care to receive blood at a fair price.
The private-sector price includes a profit margin to cover high medical supply, storage, and operating costs, while capping excessive charges that have reached 2,500 pounds ($47) a unit at some private providers, the source said.
The second source, who works at the Central Administration for Blood Services, said the proposal is under legal review by the health minister’s legal adviser because it would require changes to financial regulations inside public and central hospitals, the Secretariat of Specialized Medical Centers, and national blood transfusion service centers.
After the review, the proposal will go to the Blood Services Monitoring Council for study and approval before being sent to the Cabinet for formal adoption, the source said.
The same source said approving the new price proposal would raise the price of a unit of blood at national blood transfusion service centers from the current 310 pounds to 600 pounds, while other sectors, including some hospitals under the Secretariat of Specialized Medical Centers, would see prices fall from current levels.
Once approved by the prime minister, the set price will become mandatory for the private sector, with violations subject to ministry oversight and penalties, the two sources said.
In October, Khaled Abdel-Ghaffar, minister of health and population, chaired a meeting of the Blood Services Monitoring Council to discuss unifying prices for units of blood and blood products, setting rules for blood donation campaigns, and tightening oversight of private blood banks.
The meeting also discussed a timetable to digitize the entire blood bank system by the end of this year, as well as creating a central database linking strategic stockpiles with emergency departments, in preparation for integrating blood banks into the universal health insurance system under health accreditation standards.
