In a partial assistance to provide treatment for free to children with lysosomal storage disorders (LSDs) in Karnataka, the government has released Rs. 1 crore to the Indira Gandhi Institute of Child Health (IGICH), the State told the High Court of Karnataka on Friday.
Also, the State told a Division Bench comprising Chief Justice Subhro Kamal Mukherjee and Justice Ravi Malimath that it had requested the Union government to release Rs. 34 crore under the National Health Mission.
The government counsel made these submissions during the hearing of a public interest litigation (PIL) petition, filed by LSD Support Society, New Delhi, seeking directions from the court for providing treatment to 26 children affected from LSD, a rare disease, as treatment is expensive.
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The State has released the money following a direction issued by the High Court in June last year to the IGICH for treating these children for free and the IGICH had no sufficient funds to provide enzyme replacement therapy, which is expensive. The Bench adjourned further hearing on the petition by two weeks while asking the IGICH to utilise the funds released by the State for treating the “unfortunate” children.