The state government has issued an order permitting dialysis centres in PHCs to improve access to critical healthcare in rural and underserved areas.
Published Jun 24, 2025 | 6:04 PM ⚊ Updated Jun 24, 2025 | 8:07 PM
Representational pic of a dialysis unit in a government hospital. (Wikimedia Commons)
Synopsis: The plan is to make dialysis treatment more accessible, affordable, and inclusive for all sections of society.
Tamil Nadu will soon have dialysis centres in 50 upgraded Primary Health Centres (PHCs) across the state.
The state government has issued an order permitting dialysis centres in PHCs to improve access to critical healthcare in rural and underserved areas. The centres will be established under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.
The order to establish dialysis centres followed the health minister’s announcement in the state Assembly during the Budget session on 21 April. After the announcement was made, the Directorate of Public Health and Preventive Medicine submitted a proposal highlighting the urgent need for expanding dialysis services, particularly for Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients.
Many CKD patients are currently forced to travel long distances for treatment.
The government order (G.O. Ms. No. 194, dated 23.06.2025) stated that the dialysis centres would be established with capital investment for infrastructure and equipment provided by an NGO or an agency identified by the Tamil Nadu Medical Services Corporation (TNMSC).
This will be done in line with the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP), through a Two-Stage Quality-cum-Cost-Based Selection (QCBS) tender process.
Under the PPP model, the private partner will manage operations and staffing to ensure quality service delivery, while the government will provide space, electricity, and water at the PHCs. Recurring operational costs will be covered through the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS), ensuring the sustainability and affordability of services.
The state government has formally approved the Director of Public Health and Preventive Medicine to proceed with the plan, which is aimed at making dialysis treatment more accessible, affordable, and inclusive for all sections of society.
Welcoming the government’s move to establish dialysis centres in PHCs, Dr V Chandrasekaran, Senior Consultant at the Department of Nephrology, MGM Healthcare, said the initiative would access and reduce that burden on rural patients, who often travel long distances for dialysis. The decentralisation of services from urban pockets to PHCs would make life-saving care affordable.
Dr Chandrasekaran said many rural patients rely on private dialysis centres, as public ones were earlier limited to major medical colleges. The initiative, he further said, would reduce the burden on overcrowded tertiary care hospitals.
Additionally, the Nephrologist felt the PPP model could leverage on private sector efficiency, while the government could focus on infrastructure and outcome monitoring rather than daily operations. The model could create job opportunities for nurses, dialysis technicians, and support staff in rural areas.
The strengthened local healthcare system would prevent patient dropout and reduce emergency dialysis needs due to late treatment.
However, Dr Chandrasekaran also listed out the challenges the initiate might face. “One challenge is ensuring consistent quality of care across private partners,” he said. “There’s a manpower constraint: trained dialysis nurses and technicians are limited, he added.
Retaining trained staff would be difficult unless properly incentivised. Dr Chandrasekaran felt that PPPs might prioritise revenue, leading to low retention of underpaid staff. Another issue that he pointed out was sustainability. “If private partners pull out due to delayed or misaligned reimbursements, patient care suffers. The government must plan for handling such scenarios if contracts break down,” he opined.
He stressed the need for training medical offices at the PHCs to handle emergencies since dialysis patients might face issues like low BP, cardiac arrest, or infections. “The programme must include emergency protocols and transport systems,” he said.
Dr Chandrasekaran also suggested ensuring telemedicine or direct consultation facilities with nearby nephrologists.
(Edited by Majnu Babu).
