5 days ago
Ludhiana: Hepatitis medicine shortage hits civil hospital, treatment delayed
The civil hospital has been suffering from a shortage of medicine for Hepatitis B and C for a few weeks now, due to which patients can't be put on treatment courses.
A senior hospital official requesting anonymity, said, 'The supply of medicine is not very regular and comes in only every 2-3 months. If the treatment, which can last at least three months, is left mid-way, the virus develops resistance to the drug and the disease gets worse and harder to treat,' official said. 'So, unless we are sure if we can cater to the complete course for a patient, we don't enroll them in the programme,' the official added.
Right now, around 100 patients are undergoing treatment at the hospital, and 56 patients are on hold as the medicine supply wasn't enough to start their courses already.
'If we enroll people without sufficient medicine supply, the people already on treatment will be affected. And similarly, these people may also suffer as they won't also get enough medicine to continue their courses, making their condition worse,' official added.
The hospital authorities have been making demands for more medicine from the higher authorities, but the supply wasn't enough to meet the patients' load.
District epidemiologist Dr Ramanpreet Kaur said, 'We have issued a demand to the higher authorities. But the problem is faced throughout the state as the drugs can't be procured locally and must come only from the Union government.'
Meanwhile, the patients can either wait or if they see their condition worsen are forced to look for private clinics as an alternative, which are trying to squeeze the most bucks out of the situation.
Ludhiana District Chemists' Association president, GS Chawla complained that the market was also short of Hepatitis B and C drugs. He alleged 'the drugs were only available at private clinics, who sold a single dose for around ₹350, which costs ₹50 in the market.
He said that when he asked the company officials about the shortage in the market and the availability in private clinics, he was told that production was low, so they were only supplying private clinics.
