Dang: Hemophilia patients in the Dang district, including Ram Bahadur Dahit from Tulsipur sub-metropolitan city-7, are struggling with the lack of local access to life-saving injections. Dahit, along with his three brothers, suffers from hemophilia, a genetic disorder that impairs the body’s ability to control blood clotting. The unavailability of essential medicines, particularly the injection known as ‘Factor,’ forces them to travel to Butwal or Kathmandu for treatment.
According to National News Agency Nepal, the patients undertake weekly trips to Butwal to receive the necessary injections. The absence of local medical facilities to administer these injections poses a significant risk, as any delay in treatment can be life-threatening due to the potential for uncontrolled bleeding.
Sher Bahdur Chaudhary, another patient, expressed frustration over the difficulties in acquiring the Factor injection. Despite the Lumbini Province government’s initiative to provide the medication free of charge, the supply chain remains inconsistent. Chaudhary, one of the six reported hemophilia patients in Tulsipur, Dang, voiced his dissatisfaction with the government’s inadequate attention to their needs, forcing them to travel to Bheri Hospital in Banke district and Lumbini Provincial Hospital in Butwal City for the injections.
To alleviate the financial burden of travel, the local government offers annual financial support to hemophilia patients. Tikaram Khadka, Mayor of Tulsipur sub-metropolitan city, stated that the sub-metropolis has allocated Rs 15,000 per patient this fiscal year to assist with travel expenses.
Hemophilia is a hereditary blood disorder caused by a deficiency in specific blood-clotting factors. Om P Neupane, Head of the Public Health Promotion Division at the sub-metropolitan city, emphasized that while there is no complete cure for hemophilia, patients must take precautions to avoid excessive bleeding from injuries. Symptoms include blood in urine, bleeding from the rectum, deep wounds from minor injuries, unexplained bruises, nasal bleeding, joint pain, irritability in children, and blurred vision.