The Union Health Ministry’s move to ensure specified funds for procurement of drugs for patients of haemophilia, a genetic disease which prevents clotting of blood, under its flagship National Health Mission (NHM) has started yielding results—activists in the sector say that drug prices have come down substantially due to increased completion among drug players.
They said that the prices of the anti-hemophilic factor (AHF), which helps replace the clotting factor missing or low among patients, and other drugs have come down by nearly 55 per cent in the last two years.
Not only this, Manoj Jhalani, Additional Secretary in the Health Ministry, pointed out that the Government is working on 'One drug one treatment' policy to make the life better for the patients and in this regard, a uniform policy for treatment and management of hemophilia will be unveiled within next three months.
Welcoming the move, Vikash Goyal, President, Hemophilia Federation (India) said that affordable drugs will ensure easy availability, encouraging more patients to come forward to avail the treatment. "Earlier there was only one pharma firm. But now there are more players who are bidding for State tenders. The States are getting competitive prices, which ultimately benefits the patients," he added.
According to an estimate, in India, there are over 1.20 lakh hemophilic patients needing treatment but just around 20,000 persons are registered with the HFI. Others are yet to be diagnosed, Goyal said, adding that among those registered, just 40 per cent are getting free drugs and treatment as medicine support is not consistently available in some of the States.
Manohar Agnani, Joint Secretary, Health Ministry asserted that all efforts are being made to reduce the burden of Haemophilia and Haemoglobinopathies in the country. We have asked all the states to put up adequate budgets for a comprehensive care program which should include preventive strategies, he added.
Talking about various preventive and treatment initiatives taken to ease the life of patients, limatula Yaden (Director) in the Ministry said that under the NHM, the issue of these blood disorders were undertaken on a war footing from March 2015 which saw formulation of guidelines for prevention and control of Hemoglobinopathies and from Januray last year, these are being implemented by the States.
Expressing satisfaction at the string of steps undertaken in the sector recently, Goyal pointed out that the sector was lucky to have officers like Jhalani and Vineeta Srivastava national consultant, Blood Cell in the Health Ministry under whose guidance string of steps have been taken. Plans are also afoot to set up integrated centre of excellence for hemoglobinopathies and hemophila centres.
Dr Nita Radhakrishnan, Assistant Professor at Department of Paediatric Haematology Oncology at Noida based Super Speciality Paediatric Hospital stressed on prophylactic treatment which includes teaching them how to give their own factor injections and having them track their treatments. "This will prevent disability in them when they grow old," she said.
Goyal also informed that to mark the World Hemophilia Day on Tuesday, India's iconic monument Qutub Minar will turn Red with an aim to raise awareness and sensitise people about the bleeding disease.