More than fifty recipients of kidney transplants convened at Praja Bhavan in Hyderabad on Friday morning to demonstrate, calling on the Telangana government to provide them with a ₹10,000 monthly stipend and lifetime medicine support. The patients emphasized the advantages offered in neighboring Andhra Pradesh, where the government provides financial assistance, such as a ₹10,000 pension and medication support, to patients undergoing dialysis and kidney transplants.
Patients in Telangana who receive organ transplants at government facilities such as Osmania General Hospital (OGH) or Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences (NIMS) are given lifetime medication support. Patients who have received transplants in private facilities, however, do not get these advantages. The hefty cost of post-transplant drugs (which can range from ₹15,000 to ₹40,000 per month) puts many of these patients in severe financial, medical, and psychological challenges. Protesters demanded government assistance to lessen the cost of lifetime prescription drugs, particularly for patients receiving care at private institutions.
The difficulties experienced by people who do not receive government help were highlighted by transplant patient Bhagwan Reddy, who also founded the Cheyutha Foundation for transplant patients. Families of patients are severely strained financially since they frequently have to sell their land and possessions in order to pay for their medical bills. For example, Afshan Nooreen, who has received two kidney transplants and been on dialysis for more than four years, talked of how her family sold their property to pay for her medical care. Even though she finished her degree and started working as a teacher, she was eventually forced to resign because of her kidney problems.
In addition to financial assistance, the demonstrators requested job and travel accommodations. They contended that persons who have had transplants encounter particular difficulties that hinder their ability to function normally. Afshan related her own story of having to resign from a teaching position she had taken because of the physical toll it was taking on her health.
One difficulty that was brought up was the expense of commuting to Hyderabad’s government hospitals for examinations and medication. Khammam resident Karupati Navakanth talked about the difficulties he faces every month making the trip to NIMS in Hyderabad. He clarified that obtaining partial coverage for his prescription drugs would assist him in covering the costs of living and traveling while pursuing therapy.
The demonstration brought attention to how urgently kidney transplant patients, especially those receiving care in private institutions, need a comprehensive government support system to guarantee improved quality of life and lessen their financial burden.
SOURCE :
TIMES OF INDIA
