Kerala First in India to Provide Free Treatment for PN Patients
Kerala has become the first state in India to provide free and comprehensive treatment for patients with Plexiform Neurofibromatosis (PN), a rare and serious disease. The treatment is being provided under the ‘KARE’ rare disease scheme implemented by the State Health Department.
Treatment for rare diseases like PN costs several lakhs of rupees. Patients who were not included in the Central Government’s National Policy for Rare Diseases (NPRD) scheme found it very difficult to access proper care. To address this issue, Kerala introduced support for PN patients through the CARE scheme, following the directions of Health Minister Veena George.
The first dose of medicine under this initiative was given to a child receiving treatment at Sree Avittom Thirunal Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. The medicine, worth ₹10 lakh, was provided free of cost. With this step, Kerala became the first state in the country to offer comprehensive PN treatment through the state government system.
The KARE scheme represents Kerala’s model approach to rare disease management. It covers all stages of treatment, including diagnosis, medicines, follow-up care, financial assistance, and psychological support. The government had earlier introduced schemes to provide expensive medicines for rare diseases, including treatments for lysosomal storage disorders and growth hormone deficiency.
SAT Hospital is one of the 12 hospitals in India selected as a Centre of Excellence for Rare Diseases. Through this scheme, expert treatment is provided free of cost for severe rare conditions such as Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), which requires treatment costing crores of rupees annually.
The main objective of the scheme is clear: even if a disease is rare, treatment should never be denied or left incomplete due to financial constraints.
