Thalassemia patients in Kerala are reportedly forced to leave the state due to persistent shortage of leukocyte filter kits and iron chelating drugs in government medical college hospitals here for over a year, officials of the Kerala Blood Patient Protection Board have claimed.
Kareem Karassery, president of the board, says those who earlier sought treatment at Government Medical College Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram and patients in Kannur and Kasaragod districts are going to Tamil Nadu and Mangaluru in Karnataka, respectively.
Thalassemia is an inherited blood disorder caused by the body’s inability to produce enough hemoglobin, a protein in red blood cells that carries oxygen from the lungs to the tissues and carbon dioxide to the lungs. Available treatments include regular blood transfusions and iron chelation therapy. Leukocyte filter sets are used to prevent adverse reactions in the body, and iron chelation therapy is used to stop iron overload after a blood transfusion.
Mr. Karassery says some hospitals in Chennai are providing regular supplies of leukocyte filter kits and iron chelating drugs as directed by Chief Minister MK Stalin. Similarly, several hospitals in Mangaluru also provide them free of cost. They allege that although the board functionaries and patients have given memoranda to the office to Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan and Health Minister Veena George, it has been ignored.
Published – 02 Nov 2025 18:56 IST
