Question & AnswerQ&A (Republic Act No. 9561)
Section 11 of Republic Act No. 7719, also known as the National Blood Services Act of 1994, mandates the DOH to set maximum fees for blood services.
It applies to all Blood Service Facilities in the Philippines including those under the national government, private sector, Local Government Units (LGU), and the Philippine Red Cross (PRC).
The maximum allowable service fee for whole blood is PhP 1,800.00.
Blood Components include whole blood, red cells, granulocytes, plasma, cryoprecipitate, and cryosupernate prepared in a Blood Service Facility.
Expenses covered include donor recruitment/screening, blood collection, testing for transfusion transmissible infections and other screening tests (e.g., Hepatitis B, C, HIV, malaria, syphilis), component preparation, and general administrative expenses.
No, blood donors shall not be given any honorarium fee.
They must post the details of the Blood Service Fee in a designated public area, either in English or in the vernacular, including a statement that 'Blood is Free' and enumeration of covered procedures.
No, no other fees related to blood services such as deposits, blood bonds, or non-replacement fees shall be collected beyond the prescribed maximum service fees.
Penalties include suspension or revocation of the facility's license by the Secretary of Health, and imprisonment from one (1) month to six (6) months, or a fine ranging from PhP 5,000.00 to PhP 50,000.00, or both, at the discretion of the court.
It shall take effect fifteen (15) days after its publication in a newspaper of general circulation.
They refer to Blood Banks, Blood Centers, Blood Collecting Units, and Blood Stations.
An End User Hospital is a hospital with a licensed clinical laboratory capable of red cell typing and cross matching but does not have a blood service facility; it receives blood or blood components as needed for transfusion.
No, expenses for transfusion-related procedures shall be separate and charged on separate receipts.
They are repealed and superseded by this Administrative Order, including but not limited to Administrative Orders No. 18, s. 1998 and No. 181, s. 2002.