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Kidney patients in Assam can now have a free dialysis in select hospitals across the state. Assam health minister Himanta Biswa Sarma said this on Tuesday while adding that the state is going to implement the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme in 18 hospitals in Assam soon.

While the programme will be launched at Swahid Mukunda Kakoty Civil Hospital in Nalbari on June 14, it will be launched in another seven hospitals by June 20.

“The renowned Apollo Hospitals, Chennai has been chosen through detailed selection process by National Health Mission to implement the dialysis programme in Assam. The agreement was signed early this year for a period of five years,” Sarma said.

He said that the Apollo Hospitals is already operating in 14 Hemo-Dialysis Centres in Andhra Pradesh under the same programme on 132 Hemo-Dialysis machines.

“In Assam, first dialysis session was conducted successfully at Swahid Mukanda Kakati Civil Hospital, Nalbari in presence of consultant nephrologists and medical superintendent on June 4 this year. We are going to launch the programme on June 14,” Sarma said.

“While the patients does not need to pay anything for the dialysis session, the government will pay the Apollo Hospitals Rs. 1296 each for the first year of service and then the rate will be increased at a rate of 8 percent each year till the termination of the contract,” he said.

Sarma said that while eight hospitals will have the facility started by June 20 this year, a total of 18 civil hospitals will be staring the facility within next six months time.

The health minister said that chronic renal failure get added in India resulting in additional demand for 3.4 crore dialysis every year.

“In Assam, hemo-dialysis centres are largely concentrated in private sector. The hemo-dialysis services in public sector are only provided by three medical colleges which is not able to cater the tremendous load of patients,” he said.

Sarma further said that the average cost of dialysis session is from Rs. 2000.00 to Rs. 3000.00 in addition to the cost of travel and medicines and other consumables.