Patients on regular dialysis can look forward to getting the procedure done at an affordable cost with the opening of a 25-bed haemodialysis unit at the Jawaharlal Institute of Postgraduate Medical Education and Research (JIPMER).
While poor patients can get the dialysis done free of cost, those in the higher income bracket need to pay Rs. 800 per dialysis.
The unit would, for the time being, function on a shift per day basis, which would be gradually increased to three shifts, making it possible for 75 patients to get dialysis done every day.
The facility had been set up using Rs. 5.4 crore allotted by P. Kannan from his Member of Parliament Local Area Development fund when he was a lawmaker.
Lieutenant Governor Kiran Bedi on Wednesday inaugurated the facility in the presence of Mr. Kannan.
Ms. Bedi said the former MP had set an example in spending money for a life-saving purpose. She said the facility would be of immense help to the poor as the procedure would be done free of cost. “Those who can pay should pay and those who cannot afford should be given free medical service,” she said.
Mr. Kannan regretted that the facility could not be opened during his tenure. He had decided to allocate the funds for the dialysis unit after consulting several lawmakers. “It was my pet project and it gives me immense satisfaction,” he added.
The former MP urged the hospital authorities to set up a separate unit for snake bite patients and provide more facility at the trauma care unit.
Organ donation
Mr. Kannan announced his decision to donate his organs to the hospital for transplant. “I have decided to donate my organs to JIPMER for patients who need transplants,” he said.
JIPMER Director Subash Chandra Parija said the hospital had significantly expanded its services for patients with kidney disease over the past few years. Medical Superintendent of JIPMER J. Balachander and Additional Professor of Nephrology Sreejith Parameswaran spoke.
