Chief Minister Siddaramaiah commissioned 800 modern dialysis machines at KC General Hospital in Bengaluru.
Published Jan 27, 2024 | 9:49 PM ⚊ Updated Jan 27, 2024 | 9:49 PM
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah meeting patients after inaugurating single-use dialysis machines at KC General Hospital in Bengaluru. (Supplied)
Kidney patients in Karnataka may now heave a sigh of relief. The state government has launched a transformative initiative to provide 800 single-use dialysers to patients.
Spearheaded by Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao, the ambitious project aims to alleviate the suffering of individuals battling kidney failure and ensure high-quality dialysis services to all, regardless of their financial status.
Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, on Saturday, 27 January, launched the commissioning of 800 modern dialysis machines at KC General Hospital in Bengaluru. The machines would be dispatched to different districts.
Speaking to the media, he expressed satisfaction that the state government and the Health Department have rolled out new dialysis machines to provide better dialysis healthcare services to the common people of the state.
During his earlier term as the chief minister, Siddaramaiah had introduced plans to improve the dialysis system in the state. He said that with the introduction of new machines, the government is further enhancing the dialysis healthcare service.
While the financial burden of each dialysis cycle costs ₹1,573, the state government has helped dialysis patients with the launch of single-use machines, significantly reducing the risk of infections.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao and Chief Minister Siddaramaiah at KC General Hospital, inaugurating the dialysis machines. (Supplied)
Speaking to the media, Gundu Rao said that the single-use dialyser will now be available to those undergoing dialysis.
“Priority has been given to provide infection-free dialysis services to the masses,” he said.
The Health Minister explained that it was noticed that patients utilising multiple-use dialysers were suffering from infections. To eliminate such instances, the state has installed single-use dialyser machines.
The state has 219 dialysis centres with 800 new state-of-the-art dialysis machines. In Bengaluru alone, there are 57 dialysis centres with 250 machines, while in Mysuru, there are 55 centres with 222 machines.
Ballari has 62 centres with 201 machines, and Kalaburagi has 45 centres with 127 machines, making a total of 800 new dialysis machines available.
The allocation of these machines to different regions of the state has been completed, and on Saturday, 475 machines became operational. In KC General Hospital, 20 new dialysis machines have been installed.
Gundu Rao said that the goal is to provide high-quality dialysis healthcare services to the economically disadvantaged. Previously, obtaining dialysis in private facilities was expensive, and the government provided this service free of cost.
“The government will pay special attention to the well-being of economically disadvantaged individuals in government hospitals. Efforts are being made to enhance dialysis healthcare services, and there is confidence that the Health Department, under the leadership of Dinesh Gundu Rao, will continue to make improvements,” the Chief Minister said.
With 800 dialysis machines providing 7.20 lakh dialysis services annually, the state government said a new era of infection-free dialysis system has begun in Karnataka.
However, while people suffering from kidney issues will benefit from the dialysis machines, the technicians operating these machines are still waiting for their pensions and arrears to be cleared.
The state is yet to clear the Employees’ State Insurance (ESI) and Provident Fund (PF) arrears of the dialysis staff of 29 months. The dues would come to ₹4,19,91,833.
