Minister intervenes on patients' request

Nadira GUNATILLEKE

Health Minister Maithripala Sirisena ordered the health officials to immediately supply the drug named Desperioxamine for Thalassaemia patients receiving treatment at the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital. Patients have been requesing for this drug for the past two years but their request was ignored, a Health Ministry spokesman said.

According to the spokesman, Desperioxamine has been given to children suffering from Thalassaemia from the beginning . The drug had no complications and was convenient for the children. They were able to lead a normal life using the drug. But two years ago a new drug named Talifer was introduced to them and that caused severe complications in them.

During his inspection tour, Minister Sirisena listened to the plight of the children and their mothers and ordered the health officials to supply the original drug immediately. The Minister inspected the accident ward and other sections of the hospital and made arrangements to solve problems, he said.

There are 834 patients at the Kurunegala Teaching Hospital Thalassaemia Unit. Annually around 2,000 Thalassaemia patients are diagnosed and a majority of them are from the Kurunegala district, he added.