Srinagar, July 7: Scores of patients with blood related disorders, also called as Hemophilia, and their families Saturday took to streets to protest against the non-availability of Hemophilia drugs at the SMHS Hospital. The protest came following death of a Hemophilic.
 The patients held a sit-in demonstration at Lal Chowk to protest the death of 20-year-old Zahoor Ahmad Mir allegedly due to absence of medicines at the hospital. Mir, a resident of Ajas Bandipora in north Kashmir had died at SKIMS Soura on Friday evening after allegedly failing to get drugs at SMHS.
 Talking to Greater Kashmir the father of the deceased, Manzoor Ahmad alleged that his son died due to callous approach of hospital authorities to make the blood clotting factor available. “My son developed severe pain in his left leg. We had to take him to SKIMS after knowing that the factor (drugs) was not available at SMHS,” he said.
 Syed Majid, a member of Hemophilia Association of Kashmir (HAK) said there has been a tussle between the Hemophilia Society of India and SMHS authorities over a newly introduced ‘substandard drug’. “But now neither the substandard drug nor the branded one is available at the SMHS,” he said. “SMHS hospital is only place where this drug is supposed to be given free of cost to the patients. We have been put to great risk by the hospital officials as medicines are not available there for several months.”
 According to HAK, Kashmir valley has more than 250 hemophilic patients among which 136 are receiving treatment at SMHS Hospital under court directions.
 “It is time for civil society members and state human rights commission to raise their voices against the hospital authorities,” said another member Rizwan Abdullah.
 Abdullah said: “The hospital authorities purchased the drug against the high court orders. The newly purchased drug is not QUESL (Quality Standards of Excellence, Assurance and Leadership) certified.”
 When contacted, the Principal Government Medical College Srinagar, Dr Rafiq Pampoori said: “We will convene a high level meeting to discuss the problems faced by the patients. I came to know about the unavailability of blood factor in the morning. I assure you to act promptly in the matter.”

Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Jul 2012 21:30:00 Makkah time
Lastupdate on : Sat, 7 Jul 2012 18:30:00 GMT
Lastupdate on : Sun, 8 Jul 2012 00:00:00 IST