Delhi govt to set up exclusive dialysis centres

In good news for kidney patients, Delhi government has decided to set up exclusive dialysis centres across the city where around 100 machines will be installed.

The dialysis centres, whose number has not been finalised yet, will be set up under public-private-partnership mode to provide best possible care to kidney patients.

Health minister AK Walia said the government has decided to take the initiative so that kidney patients do not have to spend a lot in private hospitals for dialysis.

Walia today constituted a special task force for finalising the framework for setting up the health centres where dialysis machines would be installed.

"These centres will be opened in various parts of the city on PPP mode," he said.

Walia said there has been a constant increase in the number of patients suffering from life style diseases like diabetes and hypertension in the city which has resulted in increase in number of kidney patients.

"Due to shortage of dialysis facilities, the patients suffer a lot. That is why we have decided to set up the hemo-dialysis centres," he said.

A single dialysis session costs between Rs3,000 and Rs5,000 and most of the kidney patients have to undergo dialysis thrice a week on an average.

The patients have to buy medicines and other equipment for each session, a health expert said.

Dialysis is a method for removing waste products such as creatinine and urea as well as free water from the blood when the kidneys fail to function.