Every two weeks, Kayalvizhi* has to travel from Salem to Chennai, to pick up her medicines from Rajiv Gandhi Government General Hospital (GH). For the 24-year-old wife of a bus conductor, the journey costs up to Rs. 1,000 per month. “One month, our financial situation was so bad that I couldn’t come and had to go without medicines,” she said.
A little over a year ago, a few months after the birth of her son, Kayalvizhi had begun experiencing severe limb pain, loss of appetite and developed blood clots. “If I went to sleep, I wouldn’t be able to get up,” she said. Diagnosed with lupus, a chronic autoimmune disease, Kayalvizhi may have to be on medication for the rest of her life.
About three per cent of the 100-150 new cases doctors at the rheumatology department see are lupus, a disease that primarily affects women, said S. Rajeshwari, head of the department. The body’s immune system attacks and destroys healthy tissue. “There is very little awareness about lupus even among medical professionals. It is a disease that can damage any organ of the body. It is also difficult to diagnose as it can mimic several other illnesses. But with early diagnosis and treatment, people can lead close to normal lives,” she said.
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Since some medications are expensive, patients flock to GH. “The problem is, GH is the only government hospital in the State apart from Government Kilpauk Hospital that has a rheumatology department. This means we bear the brunt of the patients from across TN and it also means patients have to travel long distances ,”said another doctor.
*Names changed
Only two government hospitals in the State, both of which are in Chennai, have rheumatology departments to treat the disease