SMHS Hospital Sans Life-Saving Drugs: No Country For Hemophilia Patients

When 27-year-old haemophiliac Yasmeen (name-changed) bled from her mouth, she immediately rushed to Day Care Centre at SMHS Hospital Srinagar, only to find that it has run out of medicines. “After an hour long wait, the doctor told me that the supplies haven’t been restocked and we should come after a week. I felt deflated on hearing this. It seemed as if death stood seconds away from me,” she said

Yasmeen is among 100 haemophilia patients including children at SMHS Hospital who are susceptible to life-threatening diseases due to non- availability of drugs. Haemophilia is a rare genetic disorder that keeps blood from clotting and leads to excessive internal or external bleeding. The treatment is very expensive. A single dose of the clotting factor costs from Rs 4,000 to Rs 24,000.

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