CHANDIGARH: For providing major relief to the patients of hemophilia, Punjab Government has commenced the treatment by anti hemophilia factors in 18 Integrated Care Centres across the State.
Disclosing this here today, the Health Minister Mr. Balbir Singh Sidhu said that to provide the quality treatment to needy hemophilia patients, the Captain Amarinder Singh led Punjab Government has established the 18 Integrated Care Centres in State. Besides 3 in Medical colleges, 15 centres have been set up in District hospitals. Soon, 4 more centres would be opened in other districts of State. In these centres, Anti hemophilia factors 8, 9, 7a & FEIBA are to be provided to the hemophilia patients free of cost 24x7 so that emergency treatment services would be provided to all patients.
The Minister said that earlier, patients were helpless and had to spend Rs. 18 lac to Rs. 80 lac annually for the treatment. Now, all expenses are to be borne by the Punjab Government.For this purpose, registration of patients is going on.
Mr. Sidhu said that the training has been provided to the staff by specialist doctors from PGIMER Chandigarh and other experts through webinars. Pediatricians, Medical specialists, staff nurses and lab technician have completed their training so that proper treatment could be provided to the suffering patients.
The Minister said that recently, first affected patient got the treatment with anti hemophilic factor-8 from Integrated Care Centre for Hemoglobinopathies & Hemophilia in District Hospital, Mohali. He said that he is feeling proud to inform that Pediatrician Dr. Dimple Shrivastav & Physician Dr. Isha Arora has conducted the first treatment of hemophilia patient in Mohali. He said that, earlier, patients went to PGIMER Chandigarh & private hospitals but now, these expensive services are made available in Punjab which would provide the huge relief to the needy patients.
Additional Project Director Punjab State AIDS Control Society and State Nodal Officer for Hemophilia and Thalassemia Dr. Manpreet Chatwal said that this factor is given when a hemophilia patient bleeds. Failure to detect this factor in the body increases the patient's bleeding, which sometimes leads to disability and even death. Therefore anti-haemophilia factors have been made available for the treatment of patients so that the patients can be treated in a timely manner to decrease morbidity & mortality. She told that about 500 patients were suffering from Haemophilia in Punjab and all possible arrangements have been made for the treatment of these patients.