Haemophilic claims Civil does not have enough meds for hernia surgery

Civil denies the claim; says it can provide enough medication for any kind of surgery

Every year, hundreds of people in the country undergo operation for hernia, a common abdominal ailment. But a 47year-old government employee in the city has been battling the condition for past 10 years because he cannot afford to pay for the surgery, which he claims will cost him Rs 1 crore. Reason: He is a haemophilic and the government hospitals in the city don't have enough of the necessary medications required to help with blood clotting.

Nimesh Dholakia has a genetic deficiency of clotting protein called factor VIII. About 10 years ago, when he broke his arm, he underwent a surgery where he was administered 40,000 units of factor VIII which cost him Rs 5 lakh. However, due to the excessive intake of factor VIII, Dorakia became an inhibitor, which meant normal factor VIII injections became less effective.

In his current condition, Dholakia requires higher dose injections like NovoSeven and FEIBA to help with blood clotting during surgery. He said, “But these injections are extremely costly and they are unavailable at any government hospital in the city including Civil Hospital.“

According to Dholakia, he will require 1 lakh units of higher dose clotting agents. He said, “If I opted for NovoSeven, I will require about 1 lakh units and it will cost me Rs 30 lakh or above. If I choose FEIBA, then I will have to pay Rs 1.25 crore. I don't have the financial capacity to pay such a huge amount for such a small surgery.“ Sources said the surgery would cost anything between Rs 10,000 to Rs 15,000 depending on the size and severity of the hernia.

Dholakia told Mirror that Civil Hospital which provides factor VIII injections for free doesn't have enough NovoSeven to help him. He said, “Civil started storing NovoSeven just a year ago, and that too just a limited amount (7ml). They do not stock FEIBA.“ According to Ahmedabad Chapter of Haemophilia Society of India, there are around 5,000 men who suffer from the ailment in the state.

A member of Gujarat Haemophilic Society, on request of anonymity, said that as these high-dose injections are extremely expensive, Civil doesn't store them. “They maintain the quantity for medical emergencies. It is inadequate in cases like planned surgery of Dholakia. It will take crores of rupees to maintain such amount of dose,“ he said.

However, Civil Superintendent MM Prabhakar refuted Dholakia's claims. He said, “Civil has enough NovoSeven for any kind of operation. If a patient gets operated in our hospital we arrange for it.“

MED TERMS

» NovoSeven and FEIBA are higher doses of Factor VIII which helps in reduction in annual bleed rates.» Inhibitors develop a condition in which the immune system attacks clotting factor and stops it from working.» Factor VIII is an essential blood clotting protein.