On Tysabri (natalizumab), that costs around Rs 85,000 per dose, Gopal is one among the 43 patients, who had been enrolled in the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme a year ago for free medicines. While 12 others like him receive the monthly medicine, 31 people are on a weekly drug called Rebidoss (interferon beta 1a).

Girija, who has missed her doses for almost four months now, has just been discharged from hospital, after a relapse of symptoms like immobility. “Since the time I was diagnosed with MS in 2007, my family has had a hard time. My entrepreneur husband spent lakhs for my treatment and when he was unable to arrange the money, we were relieved that the government came forward to help us. But since November, I haven’t had Tysabri and I am struggling to cope with daily activities.,” she says. 

Sujatha*, a mother of two, has been lucky this week, she got her dose of rebidoss, which costs around Rs 6,000. Depending on the treatment, a patient has to receive one, two or three doses of the same every week. “I was initially on Avonex a drug costing Rs 7,500 per dose. Later I  was put on rebidoss, A couple of weeks ago, I was told there was no stock of it,” she says. Sujatha and 30 others have been receiving the drug sporadically. 

The patients, whose annual income was less then Rs 72,000 per annum, were enrolled in the insurance scheme, after a representation by the Chennai chapter of the Multiple Sclerosis Society of India’s Chennai Chapter. They have been receiving the drugs at the Tamil Nadu Government Multi Super Specialty Hospital for a few months regularly.

Ann Gonsalvez, the chairperson of the Chennai Chapter, says that requests to the government has fallen on deaf ears. “We even met the officials in the Health Department, but there has been no help. Patients are suffering and any progress and management with the drug have been undone with the lack of medicines in the last few months,” she says. 

While authorities in the multispecialty hospital say these came under the purview of the Institute of Child Health as it affected the paediatric group the most, Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation Limited authorities have said they hadn’t received indent for the drugs in the last six months. 

“Both are specialty drugs, which unlike, essential drugs are not stocked in warehouse. These are supplied after receiving an indent, but in the last six months we haven’t received any indent from any hospital,” says Dr Umanath P, managing director, Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation Limited.