Doctor diagnosed with Hepatits C mortgages house for 30 years to pay for treatment
Anesthetist Dr. Pramod Arya who contracted Hepatits C had to mortgage his home for 30 years to afford a three month course of anti-viral drugs worth Rs. 70 lakh.
He was being treated with Ribavarin initially, but it had many side-effects. Dr Arya was then prescribed two new anti-viral compounds- Sofosbuvir and Simeprevir, which were being used in the US to treat the virus. Dr. Arya wrote to then Union Health Minister Dr. Harsh Vardhan and the state’s Directorate of Health Services (DHS) for drug procurement under Delhi Government Employees Health Scheme (DGEHS), but his request was rejected on September 26.
Dr. Arya went on to mortgage his home to the tune of 30 lakhs, generated funds on social media and reached out to family. Procuring the drugs was a nightmare, it was possible only via a distributor in Mumbai but he is finally infection free. According to experts at ILBS (Institute of Liver and Biliary Sciences), the drugs were cleared by the Drug Control General of India (DCGI) just a couple of months after the doctor’s treatment and are since being manufactured by Indian companies at 0.5 per cent of the cost of US-based companies.ILBS Director Dr S K Sarin, who treated Dr Arya, said that thousands of patients like him will benefit from the drug being manufactured in India now.
Dr Arya, who tested free from the virus last month has again applied for reimbursement of his treatment. He has threatened to go to court if his request is denied this time. While the infection has gone, the effect on his liver remains. He urges the government to at least pay for his mortgage amount.
Meanwhile, parliamentary secretary Rajesh Gupta has said, “Since these are imported drugs which were not cleared for treatment by drug regulatory authorities under the Centre, the Delhi government could not do not anything…. We request him to get a second opinion from any other hospital. If there is any Indian equivalent drug, the government can procure it for him.”
Article Source – The Indian Express
Image Source- Examiner.com
