Srinagar, Aug 11: Much to the relief of kidney patients requiring dialysis in the Union Territory of J&K, Health & Medical Education Department has made dialysis centres operational in all the 20 Districts of the Union Territory.
Additional Chief Secretary, Health & Medical Education, Atal Dullo while giving details about the progress made in this regard, said that these centres have been established under Prime Minister's National Dialysis Program (PMNDP) under the umbrella of National Health Mission in the District Hospitals namely Govt. Hospital Gandhi Nagar Jammu, DH Poonch, DH Udhampur, DH Kishtwar, DH Ramban, DH Reasi, DH Samba in Jammu Division and DH Budgam, DH Pulwama, DH Ganderbal, DH Shopian, DH Kulgam, DH Bandipora, JLNM Hospital Srinagar & SDH Kupwara from Kashmir Division and Associated Hospitals of New Govt. Medical Colleges at Baramulla, Anantnag, Doda, Rajouri & Kathua.
He said under NHM free of cost dialysis sessions are conducted for patients from below poverty line (BPL) economic group and for non BPL patients the benefit of accessing the services close to the community at the district hospitals at subsidized rates of Rs 950 per session is being provided.
Atal Dullo said that the Govt. is committed to provide quality services at the doorsteps of the patients as most patients had to undertake frequent trips and often over long distances to access dialysis services incurring travel cost and loss of wages for the patients and family members leading to financial catastrophe for practically all families with such patients. In absence of a government-run facility, the patients were forced to seek treatment at the privately operated centers involving very high out of pocket expenditure by the patients, he added.
Mission Director, NHM, Yasin Choudhary said that under this programme 5 to 8 dialysis machines as per workload have been installed in each of the dialysis centre and a total of 125 machines stand installed till date in the UT of J&K of which 62 dialysis machines were provided by Ministry of Health & Family Welfare, GoI, 40 by World Bank and rest 22 procured under National Health Mission in the UT.
Till date more than 35,000 dialysis sessions have been conducted in these centres, and registered over 952 chronic patients suffering with renal diseases, he added.
