CM Siddaramaiah at the launch of the free dialysis services.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: In a bid to improve the quality of dialysis services in the state, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah launched the free dialysis services by flagging off 20 new machines at KC General Hospital in Bengaluru on Saturday.
A total of 219 dialysis centres have been set up across the state wherein a total of 800 new single-use dialyzers have been installed under public-private partnership model.
Accordingly, Bengaluru division will have 250 machines in 57 centres, Belagavi division will have 201 machines in 62 centres, Mysuru division will have 222 machines in 55 centres and Kalaburagi division will have 127 machines in 45 centres.
Of the single-use dialyzers that are used to prevent infection among patients, 475 have been deployed for use from Saturday. The 20 new single-use machines installed at KC General Hospital provide dialysis services to at least 72 patients every day.
Speaking after inaugurating the machines, Siddaramaiah said, "Dialysis in the private sector has burdened the poor. Therefore, the government is providing free dialysis services. I am very happy that the health minister identified the gaps in the services and has worked to fix them."
He also directed the health minister to table his plan to upgrade the KC General Hospital at a cost of Rs 150 crore in the Cabinet meeting and assured that it would be approved soon.
Health Minister Dinesh Gundu Rao told DH that the tenders for the machines in Kalaburagi district are opening soon. “They had to be recalled because the quoted figures were too high. All the machines should be up and running by the end of next month,” he said.