Free dialysis facilities in 18 hospitals in Assam: Sarma

Assam government would provide free hemo-dialysis facilities in 18 hospitals in the state, Health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said Tuesday. The free dialysis facilities would be provided free under public-private partnership model as part of the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme under National Health Mission, Sarma said.

The first free dialysis service will begin at Nalbari's Swahid Mukanda Kakati Civil Hospital on June 14 and subsequently it will be started in seven other hospitals by June 20 next, the minister told reporters here. In the next three months, free dialysis facility will be provided in seven more centres followed by three more within six months, thereby covering 18 hospitals, he said.

In Nalbari, the first session of providing free dialysis was held on June four and after the positive response, it was decided to go ahead and formally launch on June 14. The other places where free dialysis will be provided by June 20 are Darrang's Mangaldai Civil Hospital, Sonitpur's Kanaklata Civil Hospital and Tezpur Medical College and Hospital, Tinsukia's LGB Civil Hospital, Morigaon Civil Hospital, Barpeta's Medical College and Bongaigaon District Hospital.

The Health minister said that the private partner to implement the dialysis programme will be Apollo Hospitals Enterprise Limited, Chennai which has been chosen through detailed selection process by National Health Mission, Assam and the agreement has been signed for a period of five years. Hemo-Dialysis machines with four years of free Comprehensive Maintenance Contract will be provided free of cost to Assam government by Fairfax India Charitable Trust as a part of Corporate Social Responsibility and in the fifth year CMC will be paid by the service provider with no cost to the government, Sarmah said.

A total of 105 Hemo-Dialysis machines have been allocated for the 18 centres across Assam and so far 45 machines have been installed at eight facilities to be functional by June 20, the minister added. The patients can directly walk into the Dialysis Centres where their clinical documentation (past clinical history, viral screening details - HCV,HBsAG, HIV) will be verified. The patients will be then referred to the Consultant Nephrologist or government institution for advice on dialysis. 

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