Will the Minister of HEALTH AND FAMILY WELFARE be pleased to state:
(a) whether the cases of muscular dystrophy are increasing rapidly in the country;
(b) if so, the details thereof;
(c) whether the treatment for the said disease is not available in the country due to which patients have to visit countries like USA and Italy for treatment; and
(d) if so, the details thereof?
(a) to (d) A Statement is laid on the Table of the House.
STATEMENT REFERRED TO IN REPLY TO LOK SABHA
STARRED QUESTION NO.246* FOR 12TH MARCH, 2021
(a) to (d) No separate and centralized data is available regarding number of patients of Muscular Dystrophy in the country.
Treatment modalities for muscular dystrophy patients inter alia include steroid therapy, use of assistive devices and vaccination for prevention and management of complications of muscular dystrophy. These facilities are available at most tertiary care institutions, including Government institutions, in the country. Certain treatments of muscular dystrophy like Exon skipping, Ataleuren therapy, etc are very expensive and drugs for these therapies are imported. The rehabilitation facilities available in tertiary care institutions in the country for all patients are being utilized for muscular dystrophy patients also.
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