A licensed blood bank should not sell blood as a commodity or pay donors. However, they may charge:

·       A service fee or “processing fee” to cover costs of testing, storage, equipment and staff time.

·       Additional charges for special products (like apheresis platelets) or emergency services.

These fees:

·       Should be paid only at official hospital/blood bank counters against receipts.

·       Should never be paid directly to donors or informal middlemen.

If someone demands cash from you personally in exchange for blood, that is not ethical and may be illegal. You should refuse and report such behaviour to the hospital, relevant authority, or via RedLife.