CUTTACK: The state government has informed the Orissa High Court that it has already made provisions to extend a one-time financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh to patients suffering from Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD, a rare genetic disease. Two petitions have been filed in the court seeking intervention for treatment of 24 children suffering from DMD. Advocate Anshuman Ray had filed a petition on behalf of parents of 15 children, while Amiya Prasad Rath filed the other petition for nine children.
The state counsel placed before the court a notification which the General Administration department had issued on May 6. The notification said, “Considering the hardship faced for the treatment of patients suffering from DMD, a rare, heritable, progressive disease without a known cure which requires high cost, lifelong treatment of such patients, government after careful consideration have been pleased to provide a one-time financial assistance of Rs 10 lakh only to each living patient, through the Chief Ministers’ Relief Fund (CMRF), to meet requirements towards electric wheel chair, appropriate physiotherapy, genetic tests and treatments on higher institutions etc.”
Taking note of it, the division bench of Chief Justice S Muralidhar and Justice Gourishankar Satapathy disposed of the petitions. “If there is any difficulty faced by any of the patients suffering from DMD in receiving treatment or getting financial assistance in terms of the orders passed by the Court, it will be open to them to apply (to the high court) for directions”, the bench, however, added.