KATHMANDU, Dec 23: The Ministry of Health (MoH) has given permission to additional 11 hospitals to avail free dialysis service for kidney patients. The new health institutions include 10 private and one military hospital. Presently 32 hospitals across the country have been providing this free service.
The announcement comes as part of the government's pledge in this year's fiscal budget.
“In a bid to provide free dialysis service, the minister level meeting held on Wednesday night decided to allow another 11 hospitals to avail free kidney dialysis service,” Jeevan Bhandari, press coordinator of Health Minister Gagan Thapa, informed on Thursday.
Kidney patients in despair as BPKIHS decides to provide dialysi...
According to the MoH, a dialysis session costs Rs 2,500. “The government will pay the cost of dialysis service provided to the patients in private hospitals on the basis of hospital records,” Bhandari informed.
The newly permitted hospitals are Birendra Sainik, Grande International, Bayodha, Alka, Sumeru and B&B hospitals in Kathmandu Valley; Siddartha City, Creation, Gautam Buddha Community hospitals in Rupandehi; Charak Memorial of Pokhara and Nepal Health Research Hospital of Biratnagar.
The MoH has also directed to all zonal hospitals to buy two dialysis machines. A dialysis machine generally costs Rs 1.5 million. “The government has disbursed the budget to the zonal hospitals to buy two dialysis machines,” said Bhandari. “The Ministry has planned to purchase additional 20 dialysis machines,” he added.
The ministry has distributed two million kidney disease testing kits to public hospitals and medical institutions, including health posts, throughout the country.
