Chemist association to donate drugs to new dialysis centres

To provide poor patients with free dialysis facilities, the Charity Commissioner of Maharashtra will soon set up 12 new dialysis centres across the state. To support this initiative, the All India Chemist and Druggist Association will donate drugs to these centres for one year.

Lifestyle changes have resulted in greater incidence of kidney ailments, with the rural population being no exception. In the first phase, the commission will instal five centres that will mainly to cater to rural population.

People fail to keep their dialysis appointments regularly as it is an expensive affair. This causes a further deterioration in their condition.

Maharashtra Charity Commissioner, Shivkumar Dige, said, “Within the next six months, we are planning to build a dialysis centre in every district. For this, we are seeking help from various temple trusts and NGOs. The chemist association has decided to provide dialysis medicines as per the requirement for one year. It will benefit thousands of poor and needy patients.”

He further added that the situation is severe in rural parts of the state, where people are heavily dependent on state-run dialysis centres. Since the frequency of dialysis can be anywhere from twice a week to once a month, spending Rs 2,000 per procedure at private hospitals is not an option for the poor.

All India Chemist and Druggist Association will supply medicines to these centres free of cost. Jagannath Shinde, president of the association, said, “Everyday, the number of kidney ailment patients are increasing. People have to undergo dialysis thrice a week. In rural areas, people cannot afford such expensive treatment. The state government has decided to build 12 dialysis centres across the state. So, the chemist association has decided to donate dialysis drugs for free to new dialysis centres.”

Statistics from the Zonal Transplant Coordination Committee (ZTCC) show that only two per cent of all kidney failure patients in Mumbai underwent lifesaving transplant surgeries in 2017. The waiting list of patients with end-stage kidney failure, who need to undergo dialysis until the transplant, has been rising — from 2,494 (2015) to 3,222 (2016) and 3,271 in 2017.