BHUBANESWAR: The State Government will soon install seven more dialysis units in the State to provide free services to patients suffering from kidney ailments.As part of the newly launched Sahay scheme, 19 dialysis units have been installed in 18 District Headquarters Hospitals (DHHs) and one Community Health Centre (CHC).The dialysis units are being set up under public-private partnership (PPP) mode. The DHHs which will be equipped with such units include Bargarh, Bhadrak, Jajpur, Kendrapara, Malkangiri, Nabarangpur and Gajapati.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Pratap Jena said one such unit was opened at Jagatsinghpur DHH on Thursday. “The dialysis machines will be installed in rest of the DHHs early next year,” he informed.
As dialysis is an expensive treatment and patients suffering from kidney diseases are unable to take that treatment on a regular basis, the State Government had launched Sahay scheme to set up such units on PPP mode.
Sahay scheme will help them to take up the treatment at free of cost. Under the scheme, 127 dialysis machines were to be installed in 25 DHHs and Narasinghapur CHC.The scheme will not only improvise health issues of rural areas, but also reduce uncertain deaths of poor people who often could not afford of taking care of their health.
“The main aim of this scheme is to maintain health of poor rural people who fail to take up expensive treatment and fall prey to the kidney disease. The State Government has made a budgetary provision of `600 crore for five years to provide free diagnostic and dialysis services,” Jena reiterated.So far, 28,665 dialysis sessions have been conducted for kidney patients in the DHHs and CHC where the units have been set up.