Health scheme for haemophilic patients put on backburner

Sameer Singh

Tribune News Service

Bathinda, April 22

Haemophilic patients are suffering in the district as a government scheme, which was to be launched for their treatment, has been put on the backburner by the Health Department owing to the lockdown in view of Covid-19.

Notably, after introducing treatment for haemophilia patients at Government Medical College and Hospital, Faridkot, the scheme was to be launched in district hospitals across the state under the National Health Mission.

A senior functionary in the department said all modalities with regard to implementation of the scheme had been worked out and it was in the last leg, but owing to the global pandemic now, the proposal had been shelved for now.

Talking to The Tribune, Dr Satish Jindal, head of the paediatric unit at Women and Children Hospital, said, “We had submitted a demand of 10,000 Factor VIII injections to the Health Department as a part of annual treatment schedule of registered haemophilia patients in the district. The scheme was to be launched in Bathinda in March this year but it is not being introduced as of now.”

The market price of Factor VIII injection varies between Rs2,500 and Rs4,000 and patients require repeated cycles of it depending upon the severity of the disease.

Father of a haemophilic patient said, “Not everyone can afford to bear the high treatment cost being charged by private hospitals and travelling to Faridkot each time for an injection is difficult, especially during curfew restrictions. We know the government’s focus is on combating Covid but if it had allowed treatment of haemophilia to start here, patients would have been relieved.”

Dr Amrik Singh Sandhu, Civil Surgeon, Bathinda said, “Although there is no official confirmation by the department, the launch of the scheme has been postponed for an indefinite period. The department’s resources and workforce are concentrated on combating the pandemic for now.”