THE SA National Blood Service (SANBS) has, as of February 1, mandated private healthcare institutions to ensure proof of payment from non-medical aid patients before the blood is administered. In a notice issued to private sector healthcare providers last year, the blood service said it was struggling to recoup payment from private paying patients for blood products and that the non-payment for blood, blood products and services was making it "impossible for the SANBS to continue providing adequate and safe blood in a sustainable manner". According to the memo, private healthcare practitioners will be required to "ensure proof of payment prior to the submission of blood products request forms to hospital blood banks for all non-emergency cases". The memo said that patients who were unable to pay privately and were not on medical aid schemes were requested to approach public hospitals. While the up front payment does not apply to emergency cases, Lenmed Clinic casualty department head Dr Yusuf Cassim said the mandate was "contradictory" in that, by virtue of requiring blood, it could be argued that the patient was in some sort of emergency. He said his department had taken the stance that no patient will be denied blood. He questioned why the blood service would charge for blood that it received for free.

Paediatric surgeon Professor Peter Beale said the new mandate was "fair enough" as long as patients in need of life-saving blood transfusions were not denied access to blood.

Thandi Skade: The Star, 23 February 2010