BHUBANESWAR: Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik on Thursday inaugurated 16 new dialysis centres at different sub-divisional hospitals, CHCs and Khurda district headquarters hospital.
Speaking on the occasion through video conferencing, the chief minister said treatment of kidney disease is quite expensive. While 16 centres have been opened, an equal number will be set up in the second phase so that the patients can get dialysis services at their nearby hospitals free of cost, he said. Free dialysis service was started at the district level in the state in 2018 with the aim to provide better health services to people of the state. At least 36 dialysis centres were opened in medical colleges and hospitals and district headquarters hospitals. Odisha was the first state in the country to provide the service.
The new centres were opened at Khurda, Pallahada, Talcher, Soro, Kamakshanagar, Hindol, Dharmagarh, Gunupur, Baliguda, Anandpur, Champua, Bannaigarh, Rairangpur, Udala, Tigiria and Dunguripali. “Once all 68 proposed centres are made operational, the service will enable 3.7 lakh sessions of dialysis per year. The state government will spend `50 crore per year for providing free dialysis service,” Naveen said.
Health and Family Welfare Minister Niranjan Pujari, who attended the programme at Dunguripali in Subarnapur district, said there has been a massive change in the healthcare sector in the state in last few years. Chairman of 5T initiatives and Nabin Odisha VK Pandian said a lot of money is spent on cancer and kidney treatment. Chemotherapy for cancer patients and dialysis service for kidney patients are being provided free, he said.