Kidney transplant patients ignored by Telangana State government

Chronic kidney patients in Telangana State, who have undergone kidney transplantation either through a donor kidney from a close relative or cadaver donation under Jeevandan initiative, are struggling to finance their daily living costs

Hyderabad: The State health department and Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) have ignored the struggles of patients who have undergone kidney transplantation but need lifelong financial assistance to survive and afford their chronic medical costs.

Chronic kidney patients in Telangana State, who have undergone kidney transplantation either through a donor kidney from a close relative or cadaver donation under Jeevandan initiative, are struggling to finance their daily living costs. This also includes procuring expensive medicines that must be for the rest of their lives.

---

In October, over 50 kidney transplantation patients from across the State had protested in front of Praja Bhavan to submit a memorandum seeking Chief Minister’s intervention and financial help. They demanded a monthly pension of Rs 10, 000, which will go a long way in supplementing their monthly salaries and enable them to afford medicines

However, the pleadings of kidney transplant patients are yet to get a positive response from the State health department.

“So far, nobody has come forward to help patients with kidney ailments, who need long term financial assistance. This is a genuine demand of kidney transplant patients. Not everyone is born with a silver spoon, and it is very difficult for transplant patients to do rigorous physical work. They always struggle to hold on to a job permanently due to their fragile health condition. That’s why, the State government must take the initiative and help us,” says Bhagwan Reddy, founder of Cheyutha Foundation for Organ Transplantation.

At present in Telangana, patients with chronic kidney ailments receive a monthly pension of Rs 2, 100, apart from free dialysis facilities and medicines after each dialysis session. There is no exclusive financial allocation in the form of pensions for those who have undergone kidney transplantation.

Under Aarogyasri, during discharge of kidney transplant patients, drugs worth Rs 9, 500 are provided, which covers about 50 percent of the total costs of the medicines prescribed.

Each kidney transplant patient struggles with different kinds of ailments or infections after kidney transplantation. A pension of Rs 10,000 to patients on dialysis and those who have undergone kidney transplant surgeries is the need of the hour,” Syed Abid Ahmed, another transplant patient from Moula Ali said.

There are anywhere from 15, 000 to 20, 000 kidney transplant patients in Telangana State. Each kidney patient needs different medicines for medical reasons and if cash is given, patients can procure prescribed medicines. A majority of them find it very difficult to maintain their health, as they have to buy medicines for a lifetime.

In Andhra Pradesh, the kidney transplant patients do have the facility to avail a pension of Rs 10,000 and a similar initiative has to be implemented in Telangana,” Joseph, another kidney transplant patient said.