- Private hospitals to stop dialysis of patients covered under this scheme for three days from August 14 to 16
- This life-saving service will continue uninterrupted provided the patients pay up the NHA prescribed fee from their packet
- Gujarat with a population of over 6 crore has only 105 nephrologists
NE HEALTH BUREAU
AHMEDABAD, AUG 12
Private hospitals were getting Rs 2,000 as reimbursement from the Gujarat Government for each hemodialysis, under the PMJAY scheme, for the last eight years despite steep cost escalation of 10 percent per annum. Instead of increasing it, recently the state government has drastically cut it by 17 percent from Rs 2,000 to Rs 1,650 putting a question mark on the sustainability of the nephrologists in Gujarat.
As a show of protest and demanding to hike it to Rs 2,200, the Gujarat Nephrology Association (GNA) will stop dialysis of patients covered under this scheme for three days from August 14 to 16. However, the GNA members will offer their life-saving service uninterrupted provided the patients pay up the fee of Rs 2,200 from their packet as prescribed by the National Health Authority (NHA) under the PMJAY, announced GNA office-bearers here on Saturday.
Speaking with navjeevanexpress.com, Dr. Umesh Godhani said, “In Gujarat state every year about 1.3 crore dialysis treatments have been done out of which 1.02 crore (78 %) dialysis treatment done in private hospitals .The hospitals get Rs 2,000 per dialysis for the last 8 years from the Government of Gujarat. Recently, the Gujarat Government suddenly reduced the price to Rs 1,650 per dialysis. The package offers more than just dialysis; it encompasses essential services such as medicines, injections, lab reports, central air-conditioning, dietary provisions, transport allowances of Rs 300, and specialized consultation by kidney specialists, all offered at no cost to the patients.”
According to Gujarat Government health department guidelines, the dialysis centers can use the filter single time. However, in other states the filter can be used 7 to 8 times. Gujarat being the model state for implementing the PMJAY, it is very difficult for private hospitals to sustain them to offer dialysis treatment at very low cost. We are demanding only a level-playing field and the NHA prescribed reimbursement fee, Dr. Umesh Godhani added.
Another member of GNA added that with a population of over 6 crore has only 105 nephrologists who offer their services to government as well as private hospitals. The IMA has also taken up the fee reimbursement issue with Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendrabhai Patel and the health commissioner. The GNA has also represented to state health minister Rishikesh Patel about this imparity of dialysis treatment reimbursement in Gujarat.
The Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme, launched in 2016, also offers free dialysis to kidney patients in district hospitals. The state government’s retrograde decision will put a burden on government-run dialysis centers.
One of the patients present at the press meeting said, “Now, we undergo dialysis in our neighbourhood private hospitals which helps us saving precious travelling time of nearly four to five hours. We hope the state government will heed to the kidney doctors demand and help all stakeholders.”
