Poor patients struggle as key eye injection not included in KASP

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The exclusion of intravitreal injections from Kerala’s comprehensive health insurance scheme, Karunya Arogya Suraksha Padhathi (KASP), is causing serious difficulties for poor and elderly patients. This injection is used to prevent blindness. Patients now have to buy the medicine, Ranibizumab, from outside at a cost of Rs 7,000 to Rs 10,000.

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a common eye disease seen in people above 50. If intravitreal injections are not taken on time, it can lead to blindness. Although KASP covers eye surgeries, it does not include this important injection.

While the scheme claims to provide financial assistance of up to Rs 5 lakh, poor patients are struggling without access to treatment that can prevent vision loss. KASP is implemented in the state with additions to the central government’s Ayushman Bharat scheme.

Medicine listed under wrong category
Ranibizumab has been included in the supplementary drug list under the oncology (cancer) category in KASP. However, this medicine is not commonly used for cancer treatment. Because of this technical error, eye hospitals cannot access the drug through the correct channel.

Doctors have repeatedly requested authorities to correct this issue, but no action has been taken. To help poor patients, doctors in hospitals with oncology departments are reportedly listing patients under cancer categories to provide the medicine. They say this is being done to prevent patients from losing their eyesight. However, hospitals without oncology departments are unable to do this.