Telangana Government apathy adds to misery of thalassemia patients

Rajendranagar: In the absence of SADARAM certificate that facilitates the Aasra pension benefits for the disabled persons, the Thalassemia patients in the State are suffering in silence despite being included in the list of beneficiaries as the blood disorder is not only taking a toll on their health but hitting them hard financially.

"Every month we have to shell out around Rs 15,000 to buy costly injections and medicines for the treatment that burn a hole in my family's pocket while I am pursuing studies. Recently my candidature for a job was rejected because of my medical condition. My suffering is getting worse as the government has been delaying implementation of the order in letter and spirit," said Mehul, a Thalassemia Patient from the city pursuing higher studies.

"It is very hard to believe that children suffering from Thalassemia don't get government aid despite their suffering is similar to that of differently abled persons. These patients have to go through blood transfusion every three weeks besides regular medicines and medical check-ups lifelong that costs them Rs10,000 to Rs15,000 per month. This is taking a toll on their physical, mental and financial strength. We have taken up the issue with the higher authorities but it is yet addressed. These patients too deserve the empathy of the government on par with disabled people," explained K Ratnavali, the vice-president of Thalassemia Sickle Cell Society, Shivrampally.

Despite the new orders issued in 2018 including 13 more diseases into the existing list of seven categories, no measures have been taken to implement the same. The authorities are telling that the software with appropriate data has not yet been prepared as the whole process is getting streamlined. How long will it take to complete the process of preparing software when all the data is already available with the government?" questioned Gorenkala Narsimha, the honorary president of National Platform for the Right of Disabled (NPRD).

When contacted, the NPDO Srinivasulu said, the Thalassemia patients too can apply for Aasra Pension as they are also included in the list of beneficiaries under the new government orders. However, we can't tell when the process of receiving online applications begins as it is in the hands of government to take a call in this regard.