DAMMAM — A number of patients with hemophilia, a bleeding disorder in which the blood does not clot normally, told Al-Sharq newspaper that they have contracted hepatitis because they were given contaminated medicine at government hospitals in the Eastern Province. There are 2,000 hemophilia patients in the Kingdom, according to statistics compiled by King Faisal Specialist Hospital. The patients face several risks. One of them is the availability of the medicine, which costs SR33,000 a month for one patient. Most government hospitals use expensive types of medicine whose ingredients contain human blood given by donors. That is why the patients are more susceptible to dangerous diseases such as hepatitis, a medical source told Al-Sharq. Thirty percent of hemophilic patients at Al-Qatif Central Hospital suffer from hepatitis and are at great risk of blood clotting and paralysis or coma if they do not take medication. The hospital has been provided with 10 percent of its needs of hemophilia medication. It was given 3.7 million units when in fact it needs 63 million units. EP Health Affairs said the shortage of medication would be compensated by supplying the hospital with a large quantity of medication. Hussein Maghees, a hemophilic patient who contracted Hepatitis C, said the medication the hospital gave him was infected with the virus. He said he also had to endure a long waiting list. “Sometimes, the hospital runs out of hemophilia medication for three weeks. If the medication arrives, a patient is given small doses that could help him get by for a week only. This means that patients have to return to the hospital after a week to take another dose.” Although he talked to the medical director and the Health Affairs officials about the problem, he did not get any convincing answer. Muhammad Al-Subaikhi, 28, said he has been under treatment at Al-Qatif Central Hospital for 15 years and he even contracted Hepatitis C three years ago because of a contaminated hemophilia medication that was administered to him by the hospital. He faces losing his leg if he does not take medication regularly. A source in the hospital confirmed that many hemophilia cases contracted Hepatitis C and Hepatitis B because of the medication dispensed by the hospital. In Europe, the medication is completely manufactured from non-human ingredients. Mureeh Al-Asiri, assistant director of EP Health Affairs in charge of medical supplies, said his department provided the hospital with sufficient quantities of the medication and would bring more from Makkah and Hail. He confirmed that the current stock should be enough for three weeks. “The medication is completely safe and is being tested by the Saudi Food and Drugs Authority.” Dr. Munir Al-Bagshi, hematology and oncology consultant at Al-Ahsa Maternity and Children's Hospital, said the most effective medication for hemophilia is the one without human ingredients. He said hemophilia is a hereditary disease mainly affecting males and causes internal bleeding. It is discovered in children at an early age when they undergo circumcision and the wound does not stop bleeding.
