500 Patients Assemble For Unavailability of Hepatitis C Drug

Five hundred Hepatitis C patients assembled in front of the Kafr El-Sheikh Liver Center because of the unavailability of the Virus C drug.

The patients said that the problem had started ten days ago when they headed to the Liver Center to receive their weekly injections prescribed to them, but were surprised to find them unavailable.

One of the patients, Ahmed Abdullah Dawood said, “There is another problem regarding medical tests. We used to take our medical tests inside the Center, but were surprised as we were told that now they will be taken at the Central Clinic, a subsidiary of the governorate”s hospitals, in which 4 blood samples will be taken, a matter which is dangerous for Hepatitis C patients.”

“The other problem,” Sayyid Gadallah, another patient added, “is that the pills that we used to take along with the injections, called Fireen 400mg, used to be free. But now the Center refuses to give it to us with the excuse that the Center has not signed a contract with the Health Insurance Company. For your information, we consume a box every two days, and the box costs 36 LE, which adds up to 270 LE a month. Where could we get that much money? Keep in mind that most of us are employees and our salaries aren”t even enough to cover our basic needs.”

A correspondent tried to meet with those in charge of the Center, but they refused to talk with him in the absence of the Center”s Head Dr. Abdul- Mun”im El-Shazli.

On the other hand, the Clinic”s Head said that there are 1500 patients taking this drug, 200 per day, but the drug is not available due to problems between the company responsible for importing it and the Ministry of Health.