Haryana: Working to ensure free treatment for SMA which is expensive, says home minister Anil Vij

AMBALA: Haryana home, health and urban local bodies minister Anil Vij on Saturday assured parents of three kids suffering from Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA) that he will make efforts to provide free treatment to their children at the cost of state government.
Anil Vij addressed the public grievances under his programme Janata Darbar (public meeting) at PWD rest house in Ambala cantonment.
Hundreds of Haryana residents visited Ambala with their grievances, which were listened to and redressed to concerned officials, departments and agencies by Vij.

Three parents from Ambala, Karnal, and Panipat districts appeared before Vij, whose children are suffering from SMA illness. The parents requested help from the minister in providing the oral treatment to their children, launched by pharma major Roche in India in July 2021.
Sushila of Dehar village in Naraingarh block in Ambala district told TOI, "My 20-year-old son Dipansh Rana is type-III patient of SMA and we are making efforts for his treatment for the last 18 years. Now, the medicine of SMA has been launched in India by the drug controller general of India on July 10, 2021, and our children should not die without the same. Dipansh's condition has worsened now and he is hardly able to eat."

"There are 19 children in Haryana state who are suffering from SMA in the categories of type-I, II, and III. Three parents today (on Saturday) requested Haryana home minister Anil Vij to provide treatment to their children as it is available in India. The government should provide this treatment as it is very expensive and minister Vij has also assured us that they are working to provide treatment to our children", said Sushila.
Sushila said they met the home minister on behalf of parents of all 19 children of Haryana who are suffering from SMA.
To a query of the media, Anil Vij said, "SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) is a serious disease. The health department (of state government) is working to provide free treatment to patients suffering from some other diseases. I will try that the patients suffering from SMA should also get free treatment, whatever work will be required for this, I am trying."
Anil Vij said, "It is the responsibility of the government to listen to its residents."