THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: In increase in the cost of treatment and medication has left kidney patients in the state facing a severe crisis. The unavailability of essential medications at Karunya Pharmacies force them to pay up to Rs 20,000 a month to obtain the medicines from private outlets at inflated prices. The shortage is especially critical for peritoneal dialysis patients, including children, whose access to vital dialysis fluids is dependent on government supply.
The patients complained that the treatment expenses for transplantation and dialysis have shot up after hospitals began refusing to accept insurance claims under the Karunya Arogya Suraksha Yojana (KASP) because of mounting dues.
While the number of government hospitals is insufficient, empanelled private hospitals are declining to perform dialysis under the insurance scheme. The cost of dialysis alone ranges from Rs 20,000 to Rs 30,000 per month, placing a heavy burden on families. Dialysis patients, who require treatment every alternate day, are struggling.
T T Basheer, chairman of the Pratheeksha Organ Recipients Family Association (PORFA) Charitable Trust, emphasised the catastrophic financial impact kidney disease has on poor families.
“Hospitals that once offered discounted dialysis and transplants are now turning us away,” he said.
Over a four-year period, the number of dialysis patients has surged dramatically, from 43,740 in 2020 to 2,18,410 in 2024 – a five-fold increase. Studies suggest that for every 10 lakh people, there are approximately 8,000 kidney patients. More than 80% of these patients come from economically disadvantaged backgrounds, making the crisis not merely a health issue, but a social one as well.
The cost of medicines at Karunya Pharmacies is about one-third of the market price, but the supply has become increasingly irregular. For peritoneal dialysis patients, the vital fluid lasts just a month, with no guarantee of future availability. Currently, the fluid is only available at taluk, district, general, and medical college hospitals.
The empanelled hospitals are discouraging treatments under KASP with the dues reaching Rs 1,300 crore. The scheme is accessible in 197 state government hospitals, four central government hospitals, and 364 private hospitals across the state.
A health department official said the issue will soon be resolved as the finance department allocated Rs 300 crore for KASP earlier this week. The drug supply has been affected as the Kerala Medical Services Corporation Limited (KMSCL) owes 693.7 crore to the pharmaceutical companies. Despite complaints from patients, Health Minister Veena George informed the assembly that the mounting dues did not affect the drug supply.