Illustrated – Supplied
Jayapura, Jubi – The high cost of blood is caused by the high cost of processing, said an official at the Indonesian Red Cross (PMI) in Jayapura, Hartono.
He was responding to rumors that PMI has sold blood for Rp150 thousand a bag.
“So the price is not for the blood, but the blood processing cost, because it is could not be directly transferred from the donor to the recipient,” he told the Survey Team of the Acceleration of Development and Health Unit (UP2KP) at PMI Jayapura Office on Thursday (6/10/2016).
“The blood transfusion for the donor to recipient could not be done without a series of feasibility test ensuring the blood are diseases free, such as HIV, Malaria and Hepatitis. It needs six hours to complete the test,” he said.
In addition, PMI would also examine the quality of blood before it transferred to the recipient. The price for the imported bag for the blood is also a factor why the price of blood stock is so expensive,” he said.
In the separate place, the Director of UP2KP Agustinus Raprap said the public in Papua should be understand about the problem encountered in the health service in particularly concerning to the supply of blood in Papua, or specially in Jayapura.
“The blood taking is free, but to process it until it’s ready for transfusion is costly. Because it is to produce a high quality blood, free of any diseases,” he said. However, he promised to consult this finding to the policy makers for a solution.(*/rom)
