Haemophilia patients demand drug procurement policy at SMHS

Srinagar, March 16: Haemophilia patients across Kashmir valley who are registered with Haemophilia Day Care Centre at SMHS hospital of GMC Srinagar demand a concrete policy for the procurement of anti-haemophilia drugs round the year.
The daycare centre often faces shortage of Factor VIII and Factor 9 drugs and patients often suffer due to lack of medicines and remain at high risk of fatalities.
Syed Majid, President, Hemophilia Society of Kashmir, said the hospital often faces shortage of anti-haemophilia drugs due to the non-seriousness of the medical college and JKMSCL.
He said due to the lack of the life-saving drugs needed to maintain artificial factor levels, many patients who specifically need this type of drug are at risk of bleeding.
“There is one patient who has a fracture and needs surgical intervention. He is admitted at Bone and Joints Hospital Barzulla Srinagar and his surgery can’t be performed unless he has factor-VIII,” he said.
Majid also said that there is another patient who is admitted in the neurosurgery department GMC Srinagar and there were some Factor-VIII drugs which were given to him in emergency situations and other patients had nothing at the SMHS.
He said that the GMC Srinagar sent the annual requisition to JKMSCL a month ago and the drug procurement is delayed repeatedly.
“Hemophilia is itself a medical emergency and the patients suffer owing to the delay in procurement of requisitioned drugs at JKMSCL level. Timely availability of drugs is the only source which saves patients from any adversity and deformity,” he said.
The patients complain that over the years the concerned authorities have failed to frame a policy for hemophilia patients due to which they are suffering.
“The unnecessary prolonging of the issues at the hands of concerned authorities and their staff need to curb this approach so that the life-saving drugs are made available,” he said.
The Hemophilia patients appealed to the Lieutenant Governor to kindly intervene in the matter and issue instructions to concerned authorities to arrange procurement of drugs on time to save the precious lives of patients.
Majid said they had to send five reminders to JKMSCL for one drug requisition, which is causing inconvenience to the patients.
As per doctors of SMHS if these drugs are not available then there will be huge issues for the patients and they can bleed and it can lead to death.
General Manager (K) Supplies, Jammu and Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation Limited, Dr Abdul Majid Mirab said there is a procedure to procure imported drugs.
“When we place an order for the imported drugs they give it within three months. When we give orders for haemophilia drugs they give within the stipulated time. After we receive the medication we send it to a quality test to the National Institute of Biologicals which takes 45 days,” he said.
He added that GMC Srinagar and the haemophilia patients want that the drug should be procured without testing which is impossible and not in the interest of patients. “We release the medicines only after the quality check,” he said.
The GM said there are 413 haemophilia patients registered with SMHS hospital and GMC Srinagar can send the requisition of one year in one go which will become easy for JKMSCL to procure and supply in phased manner that would lead to saving of state exchequer by way of one time testing and poor patients wouldn’t suffer in case of any emergency.
In 2011, the J&K High Court had directed the health department to keep the factor available 24 hours in the hospital. But in complete disregard to the Court directions, the anti-hemophilia factor often remains unavailable at SMHS hospital pushing patients to the wall.