Thalassemia patients in Kozhikode face shortage of leukocyte filter sets
Patients are reportedly forced to purchase medical devices from a private company after free distribution stopped at the Government Medical College Hospital.
Thalassemia patients at the Government Medical College Hospital in Kozhikode are facing difficulties as the free distribution of leukocyte filter sets has not yet resumed, according to The Hindu.
The Blood Patients Protection Council, Kerala, stated that the supply of these medical devices from the hospital's blood bank was stopped two years ago.
Leukocyte filter sets are used to separate white blood cells from whole blood before transfusion to prevent adverse reactions.
Public health activists said patients in government district hospitals in Kannur and Palakkad, and the Government Medical College Hospital in Wayanad, are in a similar situation.
The activists claimed that patients are forced to buy the filter sets for approximately ₹1,200 per piece from a private company in Ernakulam.
Kareem Karassery, president of the council, claimed that although the Kerala Medical Services Corporation floated tenders for filter sets and iron chelation drugs, only those supplying the filter sets participated.
Karassery said it is not yet clear if the corporation will restart the tendering process or resume the ongoing bid to procure the filter sets alone.
The Kerala State Human Rights Commission has asked the Director of Health Services to submit a report on the matter.