VISAKHAPATNAM: Even as the government has promised to extend all medical help to the victims of renal ailments at the King George Hospital (KGH) after Jana Sena chief’s puts it on notice over the plights of the victims of Uddanam in Srikakulam district, four new dialysis machines supplied to the hospital are yet to be made functional owing to lack of an RO water plant. The machines were supplied at a cost of `6 lakh each to the KGH to ensure adequate facilities to patients who need dialysis. But, the equipment have been gathering dust in the KGH for the last six months.
There are a large number of patients with renal diseases suffering for want of dialysis facility in Uddanam. Daily, scores of patients come to the KGH for dialysis. Taking Jana Sena founder Pawan Kalyan’s demands into consideration, Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu and Health minister Kamineni Srinivasa Rao announced several facilities to the kidney patients, including the free bus passes from Uddanam to Viskahapatnam for dialysis and treatment in the KGH.
There is demand for the dialysis treatment in the KGH. Not only from Srikakulam, there are a number of poor patients from Vizianagaram, Visakhapatnam and parts of East Godavari districts also approach the KGH. Currently, 17 dialysis machines, including 13 belonging to a private company Bron, are working in the KGH. The government, under PPP mode, signed an MoU with the Bron. The company has set up 13 dialysis machines and also sunk a bore-well along with an RO plant.
All the Rajiv Arogya Sri beneficiaries are getting free dialysis. There are four more dialysis machines owned by the KGH which are also working and the Bron company has been providing water from its RO Plant.
According to KGH superintendent G Arjuna, there are over 50 sittings in both private and KGH dialysis machines. All the 17 are working 24/7 and there is still demand for dialysis.
“KGH has four new dialysis machines. To bring the four machines into operation, another bore-well and one RO plant are needed,” Arjuna said.
Meanwhile, a number of patients allege that they are not getting dialysis in time due to the rush. However, the KGH authorities say that the dialysis treatment will depend on the patient’s health records. However, every patient has to spend a minimum of one hour for each sitting. The patients want the government to strengthen the dialysis unit by bringing the new machines into operation.
“It is not a serious issue. If the government spends `8 to 9 lakh for setting up an RO plant and to sink a bore-well, the four dialysis machines can be operated in a day and it will be easy to set up more machines,” lamented a senior doctor of the KGH.