Non-delivery of medicines hits cancer patients

Regional Cancer Centre says its working to solve the issue

The Regional Cancer Centre, Thiruvananthapuram,, along with the Directorate of Health Services, has identified 21 hospitals across the State through which cancer treatment would be provided.

Sunanda (name changed), a 53-year-old Chronic myeloid leukaemia patient, is looking at an improbable scenario of spending nearly ₹1 lakh unless she gets her costly medicines, which were supplied for free before the lockdown.

A patient of the Regional Cancer Centre (RCC) in Thiruvananthapuram, she used to get a free strip of tablets costing around ₹7,000 under the Karunya Benevolent Fund Scheme. The pharmaceutical company concerned delivered a month’s supply when she applied with the bill of that strip. Though she has registered with the government’s emergency medicine delivery service through the Fire and Rescue Services for uninterrupted supply of medicines during the lockdown, she claims she has been told that her representative will have to come to the hospital and complete some formalities for that to happen.

She says under the prevailing circumstances, it is not safe to send her aged husband who is also not keeping well. There are more patients in a similar predicament.

Regulations

RCC authorities say that regulations are in place in the case of some rarely prescribed and slow-moving medicines owing to logistical and medical reasons though steps are being taken to address those issues as well. “We do not want to leave out anyone and we are working out things since we are facing an unprecedented situation,” says Sajeed A., RCC Medical Superintendent.

He says the RCC, along with the Directorate of Health Services, has identified 21 hospitals across the State through which cancer treatment would be provided. In addition to this facility, the RCC is supplying prescribed medicines directly to patients in all districts through the Kerala Fire and Rescue Services and the Kerala State Youth Commission.

Problem of misuse

Jineesh Kumar, a Fire and Rescue Services officer in Thiruvananthapuram, confirms that some rare and costly medicines meant for cancer patients are not being made available under the emergency service citing apprehension of misuse.

“The argument of misuse is baseless since pharmaceutical companies supply free medicines only against the bill of free strips supplied under the Karunya scheme, not to mention the verification by a doctor. So, this amounts to denial of right to treatment,” says S. Jessin, a lawyer practising in Kochi and whose mother is undergoing cancer treatment.