Patients with hemophilia in the Kashmir region are confronting an acute shortage of crucial medicines, with the non-availability of anti-hemophilic drugs such as Factor IX and Factor VIII sparking urgent worry among families and health advocates. For over a year, these life-saving clotting factor treatments have remained largely unavailable at Government Medical College (GMC) Srinagar, leaving hundreds of vulnerable individuals — particularly children — without essential care.
According to a statement by the Association of Hemophilia Patients, repeated appeals to health authorities and the Jammu and Kashmir Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (JKMSCL) have not yielded sufficient action, despite repeated orders from the High Court to ensure timely supplies. Hemophilia is a chronic bleeding disorder that requires regular administration of clotting factors to prevent spontaneous and potentially dangerous bleeding episodes.
The situation has forced patient groups to deplete their own limited resources to purchase medication, but financial constraints now impede further procurement. Many children have abandoned schooling due to deteriorating health and some have become permanently disabled because of prolonged lack of treatment. Critical surgeries have been delayed for months because the necessary clotting factors are simply not available.
The JKMSCL’s controversial contract with a supplier whose products previously failed quality testing has further aggravated the crisis, and only a small quantity of one strength of Factor IX was recently supplied — covering only a fraction of actual needs. Factor VIII supplies have also been exhausted entirely, worsening the risk to patients’ health. Health advocates are urgently calling for transparent, prompt procurement and regular supply of all essential anti-hemophilic medicines to safeguard the dignity and future of those affected across Kashmir.
