Meds for a rare disease become scarce in Gujarat, patients suffer
Updated: Jan 30th, 2024
Haemophilia vial (img: Freepik) |
Despite the state’s growing healthcare infrastructure, patients with haemophilia in Gujarat face several adversities as its medicine has seen a major crunch for the last six months.
Haemophilia is a rare disorder that prevents blood from clotting normally.
As government grants for these medications plummeted, patients visiting government hospitals have to pay the price.
The state hosts around 6,000 patients with haemophilia, who require regular doses of medication.
Medicines for haemophilia are imported from Europe’s Denmark through air cargo.
The shortage of the ‘Factor-8’ medicine, which is the most in-demand, caused major troubles for the patients.
This has led to several patients opting to make heavy expenses for these injections in private hospitals.
Generally, a haemophilia vial costs somewhere around ₹10,000, which can go up to a staggering amount of ₹80,000 as well.
Struggles in treating haemophilia
The only daycare centre in Ahmedabad is currently operational in Sola civil hospital, which can accommodate a total of 260 patients, including 100 kids.
Experts suggest that haemophilia should be included in the emergency drug list for the ease of government hospital patients.
Several pleas have been made to the authorities regarding the shortage of medicinal stock, but they have yielded no results till now.
What is haemophilia disease?
Haemophilia is a congenital disease or birth defect that is inherited by the child from the parent’s genes.
However, a study related to people with haemophilia (PWH) suggests that 30% of cases don’t have a past related to any blood disease.
The male child has a 50% chance of suffering from haemophilia, as it mostly affects boys, while a female child has a 50% possibility of being the disease carrier with mild haemophilia A.
Haemophilia patients face several adversaries, such as joint or muscle pain due to bleeding, swelling, redness, pain, stiffness, and difficulties in using the affected organ.
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