Hi-tech haemophilia centre raises hopes of patients in Kashmir

The Government of Jammu and Kashmir has provided respite to patients of haemophilia, a chronic, inherited bleeding disorder, by setting up a care centre with advanced technology and facilities.

Centre in-charge Dr Ruby Rasheed said they are looking to upgrade the laboratory and other enhanced facilities for patients.

"In this the only thing is technology, means that we have to identify these cases, that is, we have to diagnose these cases, that means we need to have very sophisticated labs with all the available chemicals and reagents to make the lab work and function to see that which factor is deficient, to see that they do not develop inhibitors to this treatment and to see what can be the other associated infections that a person can have had after past infusions, whatever he has taken. So we have to have a good laboratory. We have a simple lab this time but that needs to be upgraded," said Dr.Rasheed.

The centre has all the latest facilities and blood transfusion equipments which are essential for such patients. The authorities have also built a separate ward with seven to eight beds where the patients from far off villages could make a night halt.

"Our village is very far from the border line and our children are facing a lot of problems. We used to face a lot of difficulties earlier and we used to get medicines from the blood bank. We thank the doctors and hospital authorities who got the ward constructed in such a short period. The doctors are working really hard for our treatment,"said the relative of a patient, Akhter.

The disorder is sex-linked, meaning that it is passed on from mother to child on the X chromosome. People with hemophilia lack the factor VIII protein.

The Kashmir Valley has some 350 such patients, including the women and kids. A new hope has risen among these patients with the opening of this centre.