Government move to curb bulk purchases affects thousands of haemophilia patients across Mumbai
KEM Hospital has run out of Factor medicines. File pic
In a move that is sure to affect numerous haemophilic patients in the city, the state, in a government resolution (GR) passed on January 17, has imposed a cap on the purchase capacity of medicines to only Rs 50,000 to curb irregularities at the end of the year. The move is likely to affect poor patients the most.
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Per unit cost of the blood clotting medicines Factor VIII is Rs 1,320 and Factor IX is Rs 2,300. In cases of emergency, like internal brain bleeding or accidents, a patient needs Factor medicine worth lakhs. Apparently, only KEM Hospital offers these medicines for free. Ajay Palande, from Hemophilia Society, Mumbai Chapter, said, "Thousands of patients are waiting for the blood clotting factor medicines, Factor VIII and IX, but they have been unavailable at KEM for months. We have written to the health ministry several times but nothing has been done so far.”
"Initially, there was a delay in floating the tender for the medicine and now, when it has been processed, the tender is stuck due to this new GR," said Dr Satish Pawer, director of state health service.
Incidentally, the state health department had enough medicines for a year in Mumbai, but due to a crisis for the same in neighbouring states, outstation patients have been seeking medicines here. "It added to the burden of supply and, within four months, the stock of Factor medicines got over," an official said.
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