PANAJI
Providing major relief to the patients of haemophilia, the government has announced free treatment to 48 listed patients in the State. It has also announced the introduction of free anti-cancer medicine “ PHESGO -- the fixed dose combination of two monoclonal antibodies in oncology for the treatment of HER-2 positive breast cancer patients.
Addressing a press conference on Tuesday, Health Minister Vishwajit Rane said that the government has taken some historic decisions in the health sector in association with Roche Healthcare, a Swiss multinational healthcare company related to haemophilia, breast cancer and Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA). “Goa Model is demonstrating promising results in healthcare, potentially offering more benefits than the purported Delhi model,” he said.
Rane said that the government has decided to provide free subcutaneous treatment to 48 listed haemophilic patients including those from the Goa Medical College and Hospital. He said that the State intends to have “near to zero bleeds” of haemophilic in future.
He explained that the therapy involves injecting 'Emicizumab,' a Monoclonal antibody.
“This not only provides a normal life for haemophilic patients but also offers prophylactic treatment, reducing the risks of bleeding-related complications, arthritic issues, and deformities. Goa is the first State to start this free of cost,” he said.
Further, stating that Goa records nearly 250-300 breast cancer cases annually, Rane announced the launch of an initiative to provide free-anti-cancer medicine Pertuzumab Trastuzumab to the cancer patients in the early stage.
“This advanced treatment holds the potential for a complete cure if administered in the early stages of breast cancer. Remarkably, Goa will be the first State to implement this scheme, offering it free of cost and aiming to set an exemplary healthcare model for the rest of the world,” Minister added.
Rane also informed that the government will treat four Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients in Goa free of cost by spending Rs 1.5 crore to Rs 2 crore annually. SMA is a congenital and life-threatening disorder causing progressive muscle weakness.
