Punjab rolls back hike in price of blood units: Jayani

Chandigarh, July 9, 2014: The Punjab Government today decided to roll back the increase in the rate of blood units keeping in the view of public interest.
Disclosing this here today Surjit Kumar Jayani said that this decision has been taken in meeting with the senior officials of the Health & Family Welfare Department here today. Jayani said that earlier Rs 500 was fixed per unit of blood for the patients admitted in the government hospitals and Rs 1450 was fixed for the patients of private hospitals. He said that but keeping in demand of blood in hospitals these rates have been again revised and now Rs 300 has been fixed per unit blood of patients in government hospitals and Rs 750 for private hospitals.
Jayani further said that Punjab Government is providing free generic essential drugs to all patients in all government hospitals across the state. He also gave strict instructions to all doctors to prescribe free medicines available at government drug stores to the patients. He said that doctors should not unnecessarily harass people by prescribing medicines which were not available free at government hospitals. He said that free drugs are being supplied to the hospitals as per their demand from the regional drug warehouses established in Majha, Malwa & Doaba regions. All details regarding supply and purchase of drugs are being maintained online through specialised software.
Jayani said that free medicines are available at all District Hospitals, Special Hospitals, Sub Divisional Hospitals, Community Health Centres, Primary Health Centres and Sub Centres. Apart from this these medicines are also available at Subsidiary Health Centres (Rural Dispensaries) managed by Department of Rural Development and Panchayat through Zila Parishads.