TIRUNELVELI: The state government may adopt a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model like Telangana for running haemodialysis units. The National Health Mission (NHM)-Tamil Nadu recently formed a 20-member expert committee to develop a comprehensive policy-driven road map for implementing haemodialysis services.
According to the proceedings of mission director Dr A Arun Thamburaj, the expert committee will study and document the best practices available under government and PPP models for haemodialysis units and also analyse the financial aspects of operationalising dialysis services under the model.
The committee’s first meeting is scheduled for December 12, and the panel will submit its final report, containing actionable recommendations, on December 25.
The committee is supposed to develop a robust framework to implement the hub-and-spoke model for dialysis services with a centralised monitoring system on the lines of Telangana to ensure that patients in remote areas can benefit from these services through a decentralised yet connected network.
It will also explore the establishment of three or more regional hubs - Chennai, Madurai and Coimbatore - which would be mapped with spokes. The expert committee will be headed by the mission director and include senior doctors, representatives from Christian Medical College (CMC), Vellore, TANKER Foundation, NephroPlus, and Gujarat’s A-ONE Dialysis Programme.
“In light of the increasing demand for haemodialysis services and the need for reforms to streamline the delivery, the NHM-Tamil Nadu decided to constitute the expert committee. This initiative aims to improve accessibility, efficiency, and quality of services, particularly in addressing the growing burden of chronic kidney diseases and challenges faced by dialysis patients,” mentioned the proceedings.