20 more hemodialysis centres in Assam on the cards

STAFF REPORTER

GUWAHATI: It's a good news for diabetics and other patients suffering from other lifestyle diseases that "20 more hemodialysis (kidney dialysis) centres will be installed in the State under the PPP (public-private partnership) mode". With this, the State is set to have 41 public hemodialysis centres.

From June 2019 to November 11, 2020, as many as 2,500 patients have availed the benefits under this free-of-cost dialysis programme in the State.

A hemodialysis centre in each district hospital in the State was the Budget promise of the BJP-led coalition government in 2017-18. The first district hospital to have such a PPP-mode dialysis centre was the 'Swahid Mukunda Kakati Civil Hospital' at Nalbari on June 14, 2019. According to an NHM (National Health Mission) official, at present free hemodialysis services are provided at 20 public health institutions, including seven medical colleges, across the State. As many as 126 hemodialysis machines have been installed in these 20 public hospitals till June 2, 2020. The official further said that till November 11, 2020 as many as 6,8375 'hemodialysis sessions' of 2,500 patients have been completed in these dialysis centres.

One such dialysis centre is going to be opened at the Golaghat District Hospital on February 2021. "The NHM has sent a proposal to the State government for the setting up of 20 new dialysis centres in district hospitals where they are needed the most. The entire scheme is being implemented under the 'Prime Minister National Dialysis Programme'. The service provider of this PPP-mode project is Apollo Hospital Enterprise Ltd, Chennai," said the official.

It's a fact in Assam that even though hemodialysis is indispensible for most of the diabetic and other patients suffering from lifestyle diseases, its cost is beyond the reach of the poor. And as such, diabetes and End Stage Renal Diseases (ESRD) requiring dialysis have become a threat to life.

This is not all. Even if a patient has no fund crunch to undergo dialysis, he may not get any dialysis centre in his town or city. As such, these dialysis centres continue to give poor patients a succour.

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