Pokhara, December 04: The free dialysis service provided by the Gandaki state government has proved to be a boon for kidney patients. Patients have benefited after the government’s efforts made expensive and complex treatment accessible to the general public. Purna Kumari Gurung of Pokhara Metropolitan City-16 Lamachaur now has hope to live. Gurung, who is undergoing dialysis treatment at Lekhnath’s Transmissible and Infectious Hospital in Pokhara, has now become comfortable with free treatment services. Gurung, who is unable to pay for treatment with her husband’s income, said that she had already spent a lot of money on loans for treatment.
“I visited many hospitals and a lot of money has been spent on treatment. Now, when people were dying of hope that they could not be treated, the hope of living has been awakened after the government provided free dialysis facilities”, Gurung said, “How much money was borrowed, how much money was spent, everything is over, now we spend a little bit. Even if you have to do it, you don’t have to walk to find a loan.
Raj Kumar Khadki, a taxi driver from Pokhara-14 Chouthe, who came to the same hospital for his mother’s treatment, also said that the free dialysis service was very convenient. He said, “It is a great relief when the treatment is free. I drive a taxi all day, sometimes I have to settle for Rs 2-4 thousand, sometimes I have to settle for Rs 5-700. It was difficult for me to support my family and treat my mother with this kind of income, but now it is easy. .” Khadki said that in the year 2020, his mother was being treated in various hospitals after she developed kidney problems.
Taranath Baral of Pokhara-13 Banjhapatan is currently undergoing dialysis treatment. Baral, who has been suffering from kidney problems for the past five years, responded that the free dialysis service is a positive step taken by the government for the welfare of the people. “It has been like a blessing for those who cannot afford dialysis, I am satisfied, others like me have also benefited”, said 71-year-old Baral.
Baral, who has been suffering from epilepsy for the past five years, is a retired professor from Prithvi Narayan Campus in Pokhara. Baral had been undergoing dialysis at various hospitals in Kathmandu on the basis of his pension. Baral, who was used to very expensive treatment methods, said that he benefited from the free service.
Dr. Vinod Bindu Sharma, Secretary of Gandaki State Government, says that this arrangement has proved a boon for kidney disease, which requires regular treatment and is considered to be very expensive treatment beyond the reach of the general public. “This is a very expensive and out-of-reach treatment method for the general public. Since the government has made dialysis free, its patients have benefited,” he said. He said that there are dialysis facilities in the districts of Gandaki province except Manang and Mustang. Currently, 16 dialysis units are operating in 41 hospitals in Gandaki province. One thousand 82 patients are receiving dialysis services through these units. Among them, 784 are active patients and 136 are waiting for services.
Although 172 machines are available for dialysis services, only 137 are operational. There is only one ‘backup machine’ if thirty-four machines are damaged. Similarly, there are 152 operable beds. In terms of skilled manpower, there are eight nephrologists, nine MDGPs (three trained), 26 medical officers (seven trained), 199 staff nurses (83 trained), 10 biomedical technicians (eight trained) and 40 assistants (21 trained) in the dialysis service. Received) are employed.
According to Sharma, a patient has to undergo dialysis twice every week. Eight to 12 times a month for some patients. Its monthly expenses go up to Rs 80,000. He said that in Gandaki province, the strategy of developing the infectious and communicable disease hospital as a government training center and establishing its own center to provide training on dialysis has been carried out and it is believed that it will greatly help in the improvement of health services in the province.
Dr. Bikas Gauchan, Executive Director of Lekhnath-based Infectious and Communicable Disease Hospital, said that epilepsy patients benefited greatly from free treatment. “The patients have been relieved since the government made this expensive treatment system free”, he said. According to him, currently 24 dialysis machines and 17 beds are available in the hospital. There is an arrangement that 16 machines can serve at a time, while the remaining machines are kept as ‘backup’. He said that it will help ensure continuity of service.
An average of 31 patients are receiving dialysis services daily in that hospital. Dr. Gouchan informed that 86 patients are currently registered in the hospital and 630 dialysis services were provided last month alone. He says that the lack of skilled manpower has created some challenges in service expansion. He said that he is not only active in dialysis service but also in prevention and awareness of kidney disease. “We have been conveying the message to the public that kidney-related problems can be avoided by improving lifestyle, regular health check-ups and proper counseling”, Gauchan said.
According to the information related to the health services of Gandaki province, the state government had decided to provide free dialysis services from 2020. Its main objective is to reduce the cost of treatment of patients suffering from kidney disease and to provide necessary health services to the general public. Kidney transplant service has also started in Pokhara Institute of Health Sciences Western Regional Hospital from June 23, 2022 at Infectious and Communicable Disease Hospital located in Pokhara-30. Sushil Kumar Aryal, information officer of the foundation informed that 13 people have been successfully transplanted so far.
