Srinagar, Apr 24: Haemophilia patients at GMC Srinagar’s day care centre on Thursday said life saving clotting drugs remain unavailable, blaming J&K Medical Supplies Corporation for prolonged testing, which is putting the lives of patients at risk.
Syed Majid, president of the Hemophilia Society of Kashmir, says patients at the day care centre of GMC Srinagar have been left without life saving medicines since last November.
“Their condition is extremely critical. They need fresh frozen plasma (FFP), yet in the past, nearly 100 people with haemophilia contracted hepatitis C/B from contaminated plasma,” he said.
Because proper medicines are unavailable, bleeding into joints, muscles, nose and mouth has surged. “It is causing permanent disability in adults and children alike and keeps their lives in constant danger,” Majid said.
Majid said that funds for haemophilia drugs have already been sanctioned: “The government and the Health Department are not the problem—the bottleneck is the Jammu & Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (JKMSCL).”
He alleges that vials of the crucial clotting agent Factor VIII have been sitting in JKMSCL stores for a month while the corporation insists on further testing before release.
“This isn’t an isolated lapse; JKMSCL repeatedly delays haemophilia medicines. Sometimes it takes months just to raise requisition orders, or to extend and revise rate contracts—delays we don’t see in other states.”
Under JKMSCL’s tender rules, companies must submit in house or National Institute of Biologicals (NIB) test reports with each batch. “Most firms comply, yet the corporation still withholds the drugs, demands fresh tests and drags the process for months, endangering patients.”
Another troubling issue, he said, is that the corporation demands 80 percent shelf life on medicines. “If a company has medicines with 70 percent shelf life remaining, it still refuses to accept them, despite prior undertakings from companies to take back any expired stock,” he said.
Dr Qazi Qamar, Deputy General Manager of JKMSCL, said that purchase orders have been placed in line with GMC Srinagar’s requisitions and the available budget.
“We have already received some haemophilia supplies, including Factor VIII, at our warehouse and they are being released within 24 hours. The supply cycle has started along with test reports,” he said.
He explained that every batch must undergo quality testing at the National Institute of Biologicals—a 45 day process. “That mandatory check can delay distribution after purchase orders are issued, but JKMSCL will not release medicines without it,” he said.
Officials said that in FY 2022-23, hemophilia drugs worth Rs 16 crores were procured. This amount increased to Rs 24 crores in FY 2023-24 and further to Rs 32 crores in FY 2024-25, with Rs 27 crores allocated exclusively for GMC Srinagar.
Despite a 2011 J&K High Court directive requiring round the clock availability of clotting factors, the anti haemophilia drugs still frequently run out at SMHS Hospital, leaving patients in peril.
