Thalassemia patients are yet to be covered under the social security net of the Kerala government even though people affected by blood cell-related disorders such as sickle cell anaemia and haemophilia have been reportedly getting financial help under its ‘Samashwasam’ scheme.
Thalassemia is an inherited disorder caused by the lack of enough production of haemoglobin, an important protein in the blood cells, in human body. Haemophilia is another disorder in which the blood does not clot because the body does not have enough clotting proteins. The blood cells, which carry oxygen, of sickle cell anaemia patients will be sickle shaped, affecting the flow of blood to different parts of the body.
According to functionaries of the Kerala Blood Patients Protection Council, haemophilia patients get ₹1,000 a month while sickle cell anaemia patients get ₹2,000. They claimed that Minister for Higher Education and Social Justice R. Bindu had promised during a meeting in the State capital on March 21 that similar financial help could be given to thalassemia patients too. But the promise was not kept.
The council functionaries said that they had submitted a memorandum to the Ministry of Social Justice demanding that thalassemia patients be included in the ‘Samashwasam’ scheme in 2021. The Ministry directed the State Directorate of Social Justice to take appropriate action on the demand. Kareem Karassery, general convener of the council, said that no action had been forthcoming from the State government as yet.
Along with this, Mr. Karassery alleged, the Social Justice department has also informed the Secretariat of the Kerala Legislative Assembly that the financial help was being given only to sickle cell anaemia and haemophilia patients. A report from the department approved by the Secretariat, however, also says that blood cell-related disorders such as haemophilia, sickle cell anaemia and thalassemia have been included as specified disabilities in the law related to the rights of persons with disabilities. Patients suffering from these diseases were eligible for all the rights given to the disabled as well, it says. But the report is silent on extending financial help to thalassemia patients, says the council functionaries.
Mr. Karassery pointed out that when the State government launched the ‘Thalolam’ scheme in 2010, all the three categories of patients were included in it. When patients of blood cell-related disorders were classified as persons with disabilities in 2016, they were clubbed together in a group. Recently, when ‘Ashadhara’ scheme was launched for ensuring treatment and medicines to blood cell-related disorders, these three were included together too. However, when the ‘Samashwasam’ scheme included all the severe blood disorder patients, thalassemia patients were excluded, Mr. Karassery added.
