Acute drug shortage hits Kozhikode Medical College

KOZHIKODE: Acute shortage of drugs including filgrastim used for immune thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) patients, Factor VIII and Factor XI drugs for hemophilia patients and injections for sickle cell anemia has put hundreds of patients depending on Kozhikode Government Medical College in trouble. On an average nearly 150 patients, especially children below the age of 15 visit MCH for the treatment of these diseases.

The shortage of these drugs has forced these patients to depend on private medical stores spending nearly Rs 5,000 to Rs 10,000 per a course of the drug. Even Karunya Medical Store that provides subsidised drugs has stopped supplying these medicines citing non-availability due to high price. The worst affected are the patients from the tribal community who forms a majority of patients suffering from sickle cell anemia and hemophilia.

An employee at the pharmacy department of MCH said twice in every year, Kerala Medical Services Corporation take the stock list of the medicines available and the medicines to be refilled. But KMSC has failed to refill the stock of medicines like filgrastim and facto, in spite of MCH authorities submitting repeated proposals.

"Shortage of haemophilia factor and drugs for ITP to be supplied externally, the high cost of treatment, and poor financial capacity of patients made this genetically transmitted disorder deadly," he said.

"The only option left is ensuring the continuous availability of these drugs to patients by the State government. It could be a step to ensure that these patients get the best available care."

"My daughter has been undergoing treatment for ITP for the last six months at MCH, but the drugs were made available from MCH only in the beginning of the treatment," said Rajesh Kumar, father of the seven-year-old girl.

"We could hardly afford to buy drugs that cost Rs 10,000 for each course. The worst affected are the tribal people who stop medication due to non-availability, leading to a worse condition.' ITP is a clinical syndrome in which a decreased number of circulating platelets (thrombocytopenia) manifests as a bleeding tendency, easy bruising (purpura), or extravasation of blood from capillaries into the skin and mucous membranes (petechiae). On average five to ten patients visit MCH for treating ITP.s