Mumbai, Jan 12: In a deeply disturbing incident that exposes serious gaps in Maharashtra’s public healthcare system, a 45-year-old hemophilia patient from Mumbai died after critical delays in receiving lifesaving clotting factors, despite being admitted to a major government hospital with a confirmed brain bleed.
The patient was admitted to KEM Hospital last Wednesday with an intracranial hemorrhage—a medical emergency for hemophilia patients where immediate administration of clotting factors is the only definitive treatment. However, for several crucial days, the patient did not receive the required factors, resulting in a fatal delay during the most critical window of care.
NHM supply halted for tertiary hospitals
Speaking to Free Press Journal, Dr Sangeeta Rawat, Dean of KEM Hospital, stated that the National Health Mission (NHM) had stopped supplying hemophilia clotting factors to tertiary hospitals.
“Since KEM is a tertiary hospital, we do not receive factors from NHM. NHM continues supplying factors to secondary hospitals in Thane, but not to KEM, despite our heavy patient load, especially for surgeries like knee replacements. Necessary factors are lying unused in secondary hospitals,” she said, adding that repeated correspondence with NHM had failed to resolve the issue.
High cost leaves patients dependent on government supply
Dr Rawat also acknowledged that due to the extremely high cost of clotting factors, patients are unable to purchase them privately and are entirely dependent on government supply. She said there are around 1,400 hemophilia patients in Mumbai, and even the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) is unable to afford the treatment.
“Even the Additional Municipal Commissioner wrote to NHM seeking support, but the request was denied,” she added.
Dr. Sangeeta Rawat stated that the patient was administered a full dose of NOVA 7, as required. The medication was procured from ESIS and other available sources, as the hospital used whatever stock was available at the time. NOVA 7 was sourced from different places and administered to the patient accordingly.
One of the known side effects of NOVA 7 is thrombosis, which could have led to the patient suffering a heart attack. However, NOVA 7 itself was not the direct cause of death, as the patient received the appropriate and complete dosage required for his treatment.
Policy change triggered crisis
Jigar Kotecha, Head of Hemophilia Advocacy, Maharashtra, informed that the crisis at KEM’s haemophilia department began after a policy change in September 2024, when the National Health Mission stopped funding tertiary hospitals like KEM. Since then, central funds have been released only for district hospitals through state governments.
Emergency pleas ignored
Hemophilia advocacy groups alleged that Arogya Bhavan also failed to arrange or release clotting factors on an emergency basis despite repeated pleas from the patient’s family and advocates. The family reportedly ran from one government agency to another, making multiple calls and representations, but no immediate action was taken.
By the time clotting factors were finally arranged through alternative channels, the bleeding had progressed, causing irreversible brain damage. The patient succumbed to the hemorrhage on Saturday.
Experts flag systemic failure
Medical experts emphasised that hemophilia clotting factors are emergency, lifesaving drugs—not optional medicines. Any delay significantly increases the risk of death, particularly in cases involving brain hemorrhage.
The incident has also highlighted Maharashtra’s long-standing failure to procure hemophilia factors. For the past three years, tenders for recombinant Factor VIII have failed due to lack of participation, and no alternative procurement strategy has been implemented. The absence of emergency stock, specialist haematologists and access to modern therapies has left patients dangerously vulnerable.
Also Watch:
“This death was not inevitable. It was preventable. Timely action and proper procurement would have saved him,” said Jigar Kishore Kotecha, Head of Hemophilia Advocacy, Maharashtra.
To get details on exclusive and budget-friendly property deals in Mumbai & surrounding regions, do visit: https://budgetproperties.in/
