VIJAYAWADA: The Andhra Pradesh government has announced the establishment of 12 new dialysis centres across the State, aimed at expanding access to free renal care for kidney patients.
Health Minister Y Satya Kumar Yadav said the centres will be operational within three months, with management entrusted to a private agency selected through tender.
Currently, 61 dialysis centres are functioning under the Prime Minister National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP) in district, area, and community hospitals. With the addition of these 12 centres, the total will rise to 73 centres statewide.
The Health minister noted that the coalition government has already set up almost 12 centres since when it assumed office, and with the new facilities, 24 centres will have been established in just 23 months.
Dialysis services at these centres will be completely free. In private hospitals, each dialysis session costs between Rs 3,000 and Rs 4,000, with patients often requiring four to five sessions per month. The new centres are expected to ease the burden on patients. The government estimates around Rs 30 crore over five years on these facilities.
The centres will be established at Bhimavaram (West Godavari), Pileru (Chittoor), Jammalamadugu, Mydukur (Kadapa), Venkatagiri (Nellore), Addanki (Prakasam), Sunnipenta (Nandyal), Railway Koduru (Tirupati), Kondepi (Prakasam), Kovvur (East Godavari), Nandigama (NTR), and Vinukonda (Palnadu). Each centre will be equipped with five dialysis machines, worth about Rs 85 lakh per unit, benefiting nearly 1,500 patients.
In addition to PMNDP, dialysis services are also available free of cost at 186 affiliated hospitals under the NTR Vaidya Seva Trust. Together, the programmes account for an annual expenditure of Rs 165 crore.
Satya Kumar emphasised that these centres are saving the lives of patients who require long-term dialysis, reflecting the government’s priority on healthcare and welfare.
