The decision of the government to collect fees from patients for blood units sent to hospitals has faced protests from Doctors Union and the heads of governmental and private hospitals associations who called on to stop this action.

Ministry of Health has clarified its decision and issued a statement stating that this fee is in order to stop the current wasting of the blood units.

The Ministry provides 87 hospitals with blood units, 30 of them are governmental while 57 are private.

Hatem Al-Azruei, media spokesman of the ministry has said that the demand on the blood is medically unjustified as hospitals ask for 40% over their need; this quantity is being destroyed later on.

This action is to control such wasting and to maintain the blood units for their actual usage.