News

Volume 2 Issue 11 - June 01, 2004

HFI Project extended

DNIS News Network -- The Haemophilia Federation India (HFI) has been given a three-year extension for its ongoing project Living with Haemophilia in India.

HFI is a Delhi-based NGO working for the cause of people with haemophilia. For the past six years it has been working in partnership with Danish Haemophilia Society (DHS) and has been awarded the consolidated project by the Danish International Development Agency (Danida). Danida is a principal body of DHS.

In its present project HFI is catering to people with haemophilia by subsidising their medicines and at times even providing them free. It also facilitates corrective surgeries for patients, mostly done at Christian Medical College, Vellore or the Lions Hospital of Delhi. In addition HFI extends loans to patients and their families for economic rehabilitation.

The project extension will enable the organisation to strengthen its 20 new chapters across India. Usha Parthasarathy, Vice President, Developments, HFI said, "Haemophilia is a fatal disorder but little is known about it in India. It is an incurable, yet manageable disease. The victim can lead an absolutely normal and independent life if taken care of and this is what we are aiming for."

Parthasarathy is a haemophilic herself and lost her son to the disorder several years ago. She also hailed the much-awaited government contribution in this direction, whereby Rs 1.25 million worth of international units of anti-haemophilic were acquired from NACO in December 2000.

Of the 60,000 haemophiliacs in the country, only 9,000 are registered with HFI. Displeased with the "locomotive status" of the patients, Parthasarathy wants the government to include them under the Disabilities Act. She believes this would result in the Government's due attention and concern for the much-neglected disease.

"There is a need to create awareness of the disease. Our support to haemophiliacs has been very marginal and we look forward to contributing more," she said.