Govt hospitals in K’taka to offer free dialysis but ground reality tells a different story
- State health dept issues order to extend free dialysis in hospitals
- The initiative is a part of National Health Mission
- The service will be made available in taluk hospitals too
FollowThe order states that 20 district hospitals and 35 taluk hospitals will be equipped with dialysis units. The service will also be extended to 114 new hospitals coming up in various taluks.
Observing that different hospitals charged different price for dialysis, the state decided to put a clamp on such hospitals. The move has been initiated under the National Health Mission.
While the government's move is being appreciated, the ground reality tells a different story. Especially, in North Karnataka, government hospitals are in a pathetic state.
Recently, KIMS Hospital in Hubli was in the news for wrong reasons. The hospital had only one stretcher to carry four pregnant women. Despite the women expressing apprehensions to sit on it, the hospital staff forced them to sit risking the lives of mothers and their babies.
The incident had sparked outrage in the media forcing the hospital authorities to have better facilities for the patients.
The condition of KIMS is just one incident. It is common to see patients lying on stained floors, rude doctors, poor facilities sans hygiene in rural government hospitals. While it’s a good move to offer the expensive dialysis to kidney patients, the government must also try to improve basic facilities for patients at hospitals.
