Hospitals will pay an extra €18 million annually for blood products following price rises agreed between the Department of Health and the Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS).
According to Department of Health documents obtained by
ireland.com
, the IBTS expects to earn €90.06 million in 2002 from the sale of blood products and services. This compares with an estimated spend of €72.2 million by hospitals on blood products and services in 2001.
Under the price increases, which took effect on January 1st, a unit of blood now costs €223.07, a rise of 46 per cent. Compatibility tests and blood grouping costs have also increased by 46 per cent.
Providing recombinant clotting factor products for haemophiliacs is estimated to cost just under €48 million this year, up from €38.5 million in 2001.
It has also been confirmed to ireland.comthat health boards have been allocated over €12.5 million to help them cope with the new prices by the Department of Health.
The IBTS said the price rises are an accurate reflection of the costs of producing these products.
The IBTS was paying extra money for some products, and if people wanted a safe blood supply, it had to be paid for, the blood bank said. Providing facilities to collect blood is also costing more, the IBTS said. New donor centres - such as Tuam, Co Galway - opening at the end of March has also increased costs.
- IBTS communications manager Ms Deirdre Healy today said a "very positive" response has been received following appeals for donations.
She said the acute shortage of blood reported early this week now showed signs of easing. A number of hospitals had been forced to postpone non-emergency operations.
