KGMU faces shortage of Hepatitis C drugs

Lucknow, Aug 16 (IANS) The King George's Medical University (KGMU) is facing a short supply of Hepatitis C drugs over the past three months.

Many patients who visit the facility in the hope of receiving free treatment for their condition have been left with no choice but to either leave or purchase medications from the open market at costs ranging from Rs 8,000 to 10,000.

The treatment of individuals with severe liver cirrhosis requires two essential medications.

Currently, KGMU is catering to around 200 to 250 Hepatitis C patients undergoing treatment, with a similar number of new patients enrolling each month.

The institution receives the drugs under the National Health Mission (NHM) programme of the Central government. However, the current supply barely meets the needs of already registered patients.

Officials have explained that the new stock, which was delayed in May, arrived at the university in June, but it was insufficient even for the existing registered patients. The same situation repeated in July.

To address this urgent issue, KGMU officials have submitted a letter to the NHM, requesting an increase in the medicine stock.

A standard treatment course for Hepatitis C at KGMU spans three months. This underscores the importance of the timely arrival of medicines to initiate treatment for new patients.

The nodal officer for the Hepatitis Control Campaign at KGMU, Prof. Sumit Rungta said that the current medicine stock falls short in meeting the needs of both existing and new Hepatitis C patients.

"Therefore, we are prioritizing medication distribution for registered patients to ensure their treatment remains uninterrupted," he added.

Unfortunately, this situation has left new patients disappointed and in urgent need of treatment.

Despite several attempts to reach the nodal officer for the state Hepatitis Control Programme, Dr Vikasendu Agrawal, he has not responded.