Patients suffer due to lack of HPLC machine

Dhangadi, June 11

Patients suffering from sickle-cell anaemia are facing a hard time due to lack of High Performance Liquid Chromatography machine meant to detect the disease through blood test in Dhangadi.

People from the Tharu community in the western part of the country mainly suffer from sickle-cell anaemia, but have no option other than to send their blood samples to the capital-based health facilities.

Yashoda Dhakal, sickle-cell anaemia focal person at Seti Zonal Hospital, said it usually takes them five to seven days to get a report from the capital. “As the patients have to wait almost a week for the blood report, their health worsens and the treatment becomes more expensive. According to the health facility, as many as 173 sickle-cell anaemia patients are currently receiving regular treatment at the hospital on a daily basis.

“Health Minister Ram Janam Chaudhary had assured that he would provide HPLC machines to the zonal hospital and Nepalgunj Hospital during his visit in January this year. But the government has taken no initiative towards this effect as of yet,” said Dhakal.

The government had provided Rs 3.2 million  each to Seti and Bheri zonal hospitals for the machine in the last fiscal. But the budget got frozen as the hospitals failed to procure the machine. The government has been providing up to Rs 1 lakh each to sickle-cell anaemia patients for treatment and medicines.