Khammam: Govt dialysis centres help people come out of debt-trap
Khammam: Dialysis centres at government hospitals are offering much-needed relief to poor patients suffering from kidney ailments.
The Telangana government’s initiative of setting up dialysis centres in government hospitals is a godsend to patients who hitherto were compelled to spend huge amounts of money on the treatment.
Four dialysis centres are being operated at district hospitals in Khammam and Kothagudem, Government Area Hospitals at Bhadrachalam and Sathupalli.
There are 21 machines at Khammam District Hospital. Of them, four are for Hepatitis C virus (HCV) patients, one is for the first time dialysis patients and one for Covid patients, said hospital Superintendent Dr B Venkateswarlu. The ICU facility was started a year ago. Khammam centre has been functioning since November 2015 and there are 154 registered patients at the centre. Every day, nearly 60 to 70 dialysis sessions take place at the centre and it is free of cost, the centre manager, V Mohan informed.
“I have spent lakhs of rupees on kidney treatment and dialysis before I came here. In a private dialysis centre, I used to spend around 4,000 to 6,000 per session and sometimes even more,” said Venkataramani of Enkoor, who is undergoing dialysis at Khammam District Hospital.
Venkataramani said she has been undergoing dialysis three times a week at the district hospital for the past three years. She thanked the government for the initiative. Another patient, Prasanna of Kallur in the district noted that the quality of medical care and dialysis treatment at the district hospital is excellent. There are many private hospitals offering dialysis but they do not accept Arogyasri. As a result, the patients have to spend huge amounts on dialysis.
“I am undergoing dialysis twice a week, if I go to private centres, I may have to spend a minimum of Rs 10,000 per week,” she said adding “We are relieved from financial burden”.
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