Hi

Last year in June-2020 I being diagnosed with Anorectal Cancer and its surgery was done on Oct-2020 and there my rectum is removed permanently and an opening made on my stomach Known as STOMA. and to support it I need stoma bags which roughly cost around 700 to 800 depends on quality and needs to be changed weekly or in few days depending on leaks. 
 I was amazed to know that  i can afford it but what about those who can't, how can they survive and what about the quality of life for them. 
So I came across an association https://ostomyindia.com/ they are supporting them and others as well.
They have  raised several concerns to the government of India regarding the same but no success.

This is not at all a medical condition its needed to save person life, Similarly removing hand or leg to save someone life

So the purpose of this petition is to bring this this to notice of government and bring ostomates in category of disability and support this association

More details below:

Ostomy is a type of surgery required when a person has lost the normal functions of the bowel or bladder  due to Cancer, birth defect, Ulcerative Colitis,accident etc., however, Cancer is responsible for over 90% of the cases.

An Ostomy allows normal body wastes to be expelled  through a surgical opening called a “STOMA” on the abdominal wall into a special appliance fitted over it. Patients who get such surgeries are generally referred as Ostomates.

There are three kinds of patients,

Urostomates : These are generally bladder cancer patients and on removal of bladder, the body throws out the urine in its untreated form through the Stoma into a special a bag attached externally to the body. It may be noted that the patient has absolutely no control over the urine discharge i.e. Urine incontinence.

Colostomates : These are generally Colon Cancer patients who pass Stools through the Stoma. Here too the patient has no control over passing of the stool in whatever form, into a bag externally attached to the body. Moreover, to ensure liquid stools, the patient is expected to do a self  enema (called irrigation) with a precise protocol whereby they need to spend 60-90 minutes sitting on the commode while coaxing out the stool. Getting constipated is not an option for them as it can lead to life threatening complications, in short they suffer from Stool incontinence.

Illeostomates : These are generally all Colon cancer and/or IBD patients whose Large intestines have a problem that cannot be treated with medication. In this case the intestinal discharge of digestive juices is almost continuous and without control where all that is eaten gets thrown out into the bag in a matter of hours losing out on important vitamins & minerals that are needed to sustain the body, i.e. digestive juices incontinence.

In all the above cases there is no recovery or regeneration possible as the body part is lost for good and the patient has to attach the bag for a lifetime. These bags need to be changed every 7-8 days for hygiene purposes. During summers the change may need to be done every 2-3 days due to leakage. Each bag is retailed at Rs.700-900 each, causing severe financial impact on patients.

This creation of a Stoma, though life saving, does create a severe disability for a lifetime