A ward earmarked for haemophilia patients at the Comprehensive Haemophilia Care Centre, Aluva District Hospital, has not become functional, four years after it was opened. A ward with 12 beds was sanctioned in the original proposal, but only bare minimum furniture have been put in place.
District panchayat president Asha Sanil told The Hindu that the elevator to reach the haemophilia unit located on the upper floor of the hospital had become functional only about four months ago.
The ward would be made functional as soon as the adjoining toilet was renovated, she added.
The authorities only needed to spend about ₹1 lakh to get the toilet ready, said Dr. N. Vijay Kumar, in-charge of the Regional Blood Transfusion Centre, who supervises the haemophilia centre.
For want of a proper ward now, haemophilia patients requiring admission are accommodated in the surgical ward of the main hospital, while children are admitted to the paediatric ward.
Two staff nurses appointed to the haemophilia unit through the National Health Mission have been deployed in these wards. Vacation time sees a number of haemophilia patients coming in for comprehensive treatment that include detailed physiotherapy sessions. There could be about 20 patients needing admission during the time. At other times, about four to five patients are admitted. A comprehensive treatment takes about four to six weeks. Since their needs are specific, nurses are trained at Christian Medical College, Vellore, for the purpose.
The otherwise well-equipped haemophilia centre, which is running a twinning programme with the haemophilia unit of the Newcastle upon Tyne Hospitals, U.K., was opened in February 2014 with the support of the Ernakulam District Panchayat.
