State sanctions Rs 11 crore to build free dialysis units at fair-price centres
Units to come up in various med colleges, district & sub-divisional hospitals
KOLKATA: State Health department has sanctioned nearly Rs 11 crore for setting up free dialysis units at fair-price dialysis centres which have come under the private-public partnership (PPP) model.
These units are coming up in various medical colleges and several district and sub-divisional hospitals.
According to a recent circular by the Health department, all the patients requiring such dialysis services as recommended by the OPD/IPD and emergency of the facility would be given the service including the cost of the consumable (if any) without having to incur any out-of-pocket expenditure.
Health department has already written to the chief medical officer of health in the districts and also to the superintendents of various medical colleges for the smooth implementation of the project.
No patients will have to bear any expenditure for the treatment.
Health department has already given necessary directives to the medical superintendent of various medical colleges and also to the chief medical officers of health in the districts.
Funds will be distributed among the hospitals by the department in a phased manner.
“Dialysis services would be strictly implemented as per the order of the department. The procedure of billing in case of medical colleges, district hospitals, and sub-divisional hospitals has been communicated to all the hospitals. All the hospitals will send monthly fund utilisation reports including pending payment,” a health official said.
The state government had earlier decided to conduct free-of-cost dialysis at the diagnostic centres run through PPP model in various government hospitals.
Health department has issued a notification saying that all the patients requiring highend dialysis services would be given the facility at free-of-costs if the Outpatient department or Inpatient department of the concerned hospitals recommends it.
State government is setting up peritoneal dialysis units in far-off districts like Cooch Behar, Darjeeling, Alipurduar, Bankura, and Purulia so that patients from the rural areas do not need to come down to the city hospitals.
Before implementing the project, the state Health department was keen on running it on a pilot basis in three top medical colleges like SSKM, NRS Medical College, and Calcutta Medical College and Hospital.