Thai Red Cross clarifies blood donation charges are for service not sale

[webfact]

 

The Thai Red Cross Society’s National Blood Centre clarified that the blood donated and subsequently delivered across the nation’s hospitals is not up for sale. However, recipients are required to cover a service fee.

This clarification came to light via the National Blood Centre’s website in response to a Facebook post claiming the Thai Red Cross Society was profiting from blood donations by having hospitals charge recipients 2,100 baht per bag of blood.

 

Denouncing the Facebook message as a misrepresentation of facts, the centre clarified that the 2,100 baht fee was not for the blood itself, but rather a service charge. This charge, stipulated by the Comptroller General’s Department, is put in place to cover various expenses. These expenses include the cost of blood bags, test tubes, solutions required for blood group tests, blood separation, laboratory usage, storage, and quality control measures.

The centre further explained that this practice aligns with the guiding principles of the World Health Organisation and the International Red Cross, which are aimed at eradicating the commercialisation of blood.

 

by Mitch Connor 

Photo courtesy of Bangkok Post

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-12-04

 

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[peterpaintpot]

How do idiots in Thailand get into such high stations? By bribery and corruption!

 

This statement is so stupid that after 17 years here I am still amazed by the lack of the understanding of the English language. Basically their defence of their con is a lie.

Their is no such thing as a service charge in Blood Donation The blood donors are offering their donations, not having a treatment for their health. If you must have a service charge it needs to be paid by the companies that use the blood.

 

I was a donor from 18 until I was in my 50s and had to stop because of tablets I needed for my health. When I was in my 20s I was asked to paticipate in the plasmapheresis programme they had started and were asking all Rhesus Negative donors if they could take part. After we had given our first 100 donations they invited us to attend a reception at Regents Park in london in the evening, the only time I had Champagne and Caviar on the National Health Service.

With the blood we donated the laboratories managed to eliminate the cause of babies and somtimes mothers at her second birthing. Much later in life I remembered my mother and my new sister were away from home for several weeks still having nurses looking after them - I was the first child and I'm Rhesus negative, my sister is still alive in the Uk at 76 years of age. I am so pleased that I took place in the experiments. I stopped being a donor when I had made 197 donations.

 

 

Information on Plasmapheresis can be found Wikipedia.

[Rimmer]

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[hotchilli]

The OP photo seems a little out of sync with the post?

The post is about donating blood and the photo looks like someone receiving a Covid injection.

Did they not have a a better photo in the album?

[timendres]

3 hours ago, peterpaintpot said:

Their is no such thing as a service charge in Blood Donation The blood donors are offering their donations, not having a treatment for their health. If you must have a service charge it needs to be paid by the companies that use the blood.

 

As I understand the OP, the "charge" is paid for by the recipients of the blood, not by the donors.

As it should be. I would certainly not complain about 2,100 THB for life saving blood if I needed it.

[peterpaintpot]

4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

The OP photo seems a little out of sync with the post?

The post is about donating blood and the photo looks like someone receiving a Covid injection.

Did they not have a a better photo in the album?

Yes, I agree with you I did not look for sloppy reporting, I concentrated on the Official Comments and clarifying what other comments I saw. And also tried to point out the need for blood donations.

 

[timendres]

6 minutes ago, peterpaintpot said:

Yes, I agree with you I did not look for sloppy reporting, I concentrated on the Official Comments and clarifying what other comments I saw. And also tried to point out the need for blood donations.

 

Blood donors are the "invisible" saints among us.

It is difficult to imagine the modern medical establishment without them.

[Scouse123]

They are only cheating the sick, poor and needy AS USUAL so nothing new here.

 

And they make these statements without so much as a red face .

[Ralf001]

11 hours ago, timendres said:

 

As I understand the OP, the "charge" is paid for by the recipients of the blood, not by the donors.

.

 

Correct, some people are just too eager to start frothing at the mouth.

 

[scubascuba3]

13 hours ago, timendres said:

 

As I understand the OP, the "charge" is paid for by the recipients of the blood, not by the donors.

As it should be. I would certainly not complain about 2,100 THB for life saving blood if I needed it.

Hard to say whether 2,100 baht is the correct price or not, need to compare with other private hospitals, my experience of Red Cross here is good so hopefully it's the right charge

[herfiehandbag]

Utterly, totally without shame.

[Ralf001]

3 minutes ago, herfiehandbag said:

Utterly, totally without shame.

You think this should all be free ?

 

"blood bags, test tubes, solutions required for blood group tests, blood separation, laboratory usage, storage, and quality control measures."

[digbeth]

21 hours ago, peterpaintpot said:

How do idiots in Thailand get into such high stations? By bribery and corruption!

 

This statement is so stupid that after 17 years here I am still amazed by the lack of the understanding of the English language. Basically their defence of their con is a lie.

Their is no such thing as a service charge in Blood Donation The blood donors are offering their donations, not having a treatment for their health. If you must have a service charge it needs to be paid by the companies that use the blood.

 

I was a donor from 18 until I was in my 50s and had to stop because of tablets I needed for my health. When I was in my 20s I was asked to paticipate in the plasmapheresis programme they had started and were asking all Rhesus Negative donors if they could take part. After we had given our first 100 donations they invited us to attend a reception at Regents Park in london in the evening, the only time I had Champagne and Caviar on the National Health Service.

With the blood we donated the laboratories managed to eliminate the cause of babies and somtimes mothers at her second birthing. Much later in life I remembered my mother and my new sister were away from home for several weeks still having nurses looking after them - I was the first child and I'm Rhesus negative, my sister is still alive in the Uk at 76 years of age. I am so pleased that I took place in the experiments. I stopped being a donor when I had made 197 donations.

 

 

Information on Plasmapheresis can be found Wikipedia.

 

I'm also amazed at the English proficiency of the supposedly natives themselves,

 

the article, while probably translated from Thai clearly states that the charge was paid by the recipients of blood donations, 

[Bagwain]

4 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

You think this should all be free ?

 

"blood bags, test tubes, solutions required for blood group tests, blood separation, laboratory usage, storage, and quality control measures."

My company has paid hundreds of thousands into Social Scurity for my wife. She was diagnosed with cancer over 2 1/2 years ago. Bad enough not getting timely repayments of them and drip fed, but it also doesn't cover blood. She is in need of many bags on a weekly basis. The cost for a bag is 3,500. Not as being reported on that article. Her medical bills have floored me financially and her family is now in deep debt becuase of the medical expenses!

[Ralf001]

Just now, Bagwain said:

My company has paid hundreds of thousands into Social Scurity for my wife. She was diagnosed with cancer over 2 1/2 years ago. Bad enough not getting timely repayments of them and drip fed, but it also doesn't cover blood. She is in need of many bags on a weekly basis. The cost for a bag is 3,500. Not as being reported on that article. Her medical bills have floored me financially and her family is now in deep debt becuase of the medical expenses!

 

 

I needed a few bags of blood earlier in the year, it was helicoptered from BKK to Sriracha (emergency surgery)... it was covered by social security.

 

My total bill was 5.5 million for the stay... all covered by social security except for the  private ward room and food... My work supplied insurance covered that.

 

Social Security give you the money to pay the hospital and /or reimburse you for out of pocket expenses ?

[scubascuba3]

3 hours ago, digbeth said:

 

the article, while probably translated from Thai clearly states that the charge was paid by the recipients of blood donations, 

Obviously, i doubt anyone is thick enough to think the donor pays

[Bagwain]

4 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

 

 

I needed a few bags of blood earlier in the year, it was helicoptered from BKK to Sriracha (emergency surgery)... it was covered by social security.

 

My total bill was 5.5 million for the stay... all covered by social security except for the  private ward room and food... My work supplied insurance covered that.

 

Social Security give you the money to pay the hospital and /or reimburse you for out of pocket expenses ?

Took them 13 months to start paying back the 1st amount of 170.000. Divided by 6 months. Then 2 months later to start the next amount. But needed a kidney transplant that now needs paying off. 30 k a month coming in & over 60k needed. Well over 2 million spent from me + what ever the family have put in! System is F@ooked! 

Edited December 5, 2023 by Bagwain

[Ralf001]

4 minutes ago, Bagwain said:

Took them 13 months to start paying back the 1st amount of 170.000. Divided by 6 months. Then 2 months later to start the next amount. But needed a kidney transplant that now needs paying off. 30 k a month coming in & over 60k needed. Well over 2 million spent from me + what ever the family have put in! System is F@ooked! 

yeah wow.

SS covers all my expenses up front.

In 2 weeks Iam back in for kidney removal.

[Bagwain]

7 minutes ago, Ralf001 said:

yeah wow.

SS covers all my expenses up front.

In 2 weeks Iam back in for kidney removal.

This has been ongoing for 2+ years. SS hopsital is free. However when drugs are required from the cancer hospital or blood it has to be paid for up front!

Edited December 5, 2023 by Bagwain

[Ralf001]

2 minutes ago, Bagwain said:

This has been ongoing for 2+ years.

yeah not good.

Treatment was at her registered hospital ?

[Bagwain]

On 12/5/2023 at 4:45 PM, Ralf001 said:

yeah not good.

Treatment was at her registered hospital ?

Initial treatment yes. However when they need to refer her to the cancer hospoital, money up front. Must not trust their selves? 

 

[Ralf001]

6 minutes ago, Bagwain said:

Initial treatment yes. However when they need to refer her to the cancer hospoital, money up front. Must not trust their selves? 

 

 

Will keep that in mind if I choose to go further with treating my cancer.

[Bagwain]

13 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

 

Will keep that in mind if I choose to go further with treating my cancer.

Look up Joe Tippins on his cancer story. (YouTube) It's amazing.