Ahmedabad, May 31 (IANS) Ahmedabad Civil Hospital provided free haemophilia treatment worth more than Rs 17 crore to 669 patients during the 2025-26 financial year, Gujarat Health Minister Praful Pansheriya said, describing the initiative as a reflection of the state government’s commitment to ensuring access to life-saving care for patients suffering from the rare bleeding disorder.

Pansheriya said the state government, under the leadership of Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel, has undertaken a dedicated programme for patients with haemophilia, a serious inherited condition that affects the body’s ability to clot blood.

“As part of this initiative, during the financial year 2025-26, 669 haemophilia patients at Civil Hospital, Ahmedabad, were provided injections worth more than Rs 17 crore completely free of cost within a single year,” he said.

The minister added that expensive clotting factor injections required for haemophilia treatment are being provided free of charge not only at Ahmedabad Civil Hospital but also at government hospitals across Gujarat for patients in need.

Pansheriya said the government had taken several decisions aimed at reducing the burden of costly medical treatment on poor and middle-class families.

“The clotting factor injections required by haemophilia patients are extremely expensive, and many ordinary and economically weaker patients cannot afford them. Understanding this financial hardship, the government has procured these costly injections in bulk through GMERSCL (Gujarat Medical Education and Research Services Corporation Limited),” he said.

Haemophilia is a rare genetic disorder caused by a deficiency of clotting factors VII, VIII or IX, proteins that are essential for blood coagulation. Because of this deficiency, the body’s natural ability to stop bleeding is impaired.

Patients can experience prolonged or spontaneous internal or external bleeding even after minor injuries, and timely administration of clotting factor injections is often necessary to prevent serious complications and save lives.

Providing details of the treatment administered during the year, Ahmedabad Civil Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Rakesh Joshi said injections worth more than Rs 17 crore had been supplied free of cost to patients.

According to the hospital, the treatment included 2,095 Factor VIII injections, 1,100 Factor IX injections, 397 Factor VII injections, 103 Factor IX inhibitor treatments, 278 Factor VIII inhibitor treatments, 626 FEIBA injections and 243 Emicizumab injections.

Explaining the treatment approach, Dr Joshi said patients are administered the specific clotting factor protein that is deficient in their bodies.

“The exact factor that is lacking in a patient’s body is administered directly in the form of an injection. These injections are a highly effective treatment for controlling bleeding in haemophilia patients and saving their lives,” he said.

Dr Joshi credited the state government’s financial assistance for enabling patients to access treatment without personal expense.

“The financial support and sensitive approach of the state government have ensured that all patients at Civil Hospital receive this expensive treatment without spending a single rupee. As a result, we have succeeded in saving hundreds of lives,” he said.

The programme provided specialised clotting factor therapies and advanced treatments throughout the year, ensuring that patients with haemophilia received uninterrupted access to care that would otherwise be financially out of reach for many families.

–IANS

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