Civil Hospital all set to reopen thalassaemia ward after decade

Ludhiana Civil Hospital finally got an independent and separate thalassaemia ward, after it was shut ten years ago. A shortage of staff had led to the closure of the ward, which had been locked ever since. Now, the ward has been revamped, renovated and will be thrown open to patients on May 8, to mark World Thalassaemia Day.

Nearly 20 kids are undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital presently and more than a 100 patients take medicines from here. With no separate designated ward, blood transfusions for the kids was being done at the paediatric ward, while the adults were treated in the general ward.

Senior Medical Officer Dr Harpreet Singh said a separate ward would be dedicated to thalassaemia patients so that they could get treated comfortably and without any hassle.

Hema, whose son is thalassaemic and is undergoing treatment at the Civil Hospital, said he came to know a separate ward was being opened for thalassaemia patients. “Presently, there is no designated place and we have to go to the paediatric ward of the hospital to get the blood transfusion done and sometimes if there is no space in the ward then they were asked to go to the general ward. A lot of time is wasted in this process. Now, we know where to go and will directly head towards the thalassaemia ward,” he added.

Dr Jaskaran Singh, Nodal Officer for thalassaemia, further added that it takes about four-five hours for one patient’s blood transfusion, for which the patient requires a stress-free environment. “Ours is a day care facility as well, so now there will be no discomfort to the patients. Presently, we are starting with five beds and the required staff has been appointed, but in the times to come the facility will be upgraded and more beds will be added. A majority of the patients coming to the Civil Hospital are children,” he added.

Meanwhile, reports suggest that for the past two year, government hospitals have been experiencing a shortage of the Desferal injection, a vital drug for thalassaemia patients. This has become a cause of concern for many as the drug is crucial for managing the iron overload that results from blood transfusions, a common treatment for thalassemia. While Desferal is available in private pharmacies, its high cost makes it unaffordable for many poor patients.

“The Desferal injection is unavailable at the Civil Hospital and as a result we have to either take an alternative or buy it from the market at exorbitant price, while it is given free of cost at the Civil Hospital,” said a patient.

Dr Jaskaran, commenting upon this shortage, said no pharmaceutical company was putting tenders for this injection due to which it is unavailable in the government sector.

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Ludhiana