Greedy clinic charged for blood it was given free of charge

THE HEALTH minister has ordered an investigation into a complaint that a private clinic charged a patient for the blood used for transfusion when blood in Cyprus is free.

The ministry’s permanent secretary Dionisis Mavronikolas said the complaint claimed a specific clinic had charged €150 for four units of blood.

“Any (financial) transaction regarding blood is a criminal offence and private clinics know this,” Mavronikolas said.

In Cyprus, blood is donated on a voluntary basis and is stored at state facilities. It is then distributed to private hospitals and clinics according to their needs.

The investigation is at its early stages and Mavronikolas could not confirm whether the alleged infringement has also happened elsewhere.

“I hope it will not be confirmed, but we are investigating,” he said. “I hope it is an isolated incident.”

Private health centres’ costs in procuring blood are minimal and only involve consumables and transport.

Consumables cost between €0.70 and a few euros – in special cases. Medical centres around Cyprus get their blood supply from district blood banks, which operate in all general hospitals.

“Private clinics should only charge their costs, which are a few euros,” Mavronikolas said.

The health ministry official assured blood donors that their altruistic deed “will not become the object of profiteering. The health ministry will take strict measures to prevent such phenomena.”

Mavronicolas urged the public to immediately report any such incidents to the ministry.

“Cyprus is a pioneer in voluntary blood donations and we will safeguard this at all costs,” he said.



The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.