Reza Mahmud :
A large number of kidney patients in the country is becoming poor day by day for paying huge costs of dialysis.
Every patient has to bear about Tk 30,000 to 40,000 per month for dialysis and related other costs.
The government should give more subsidies for making the people’s medical treatment including kidney dialysis bearable.
Gonosashthaya Kendro Trustee and Freedom Fighter Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury said it while talking with The New Nation on Sunday.
He said, average people of the country are unable to bear kidney dialysis costs. Many of the patients are being bankrupt and stopped dialysis after failing to bear its costs.
Dr. Zafrullah said, “We charge very cheap costs. Instead of that, many of the patients fail to pay and cry for more considerations. Such wailing of the patients is unbearable. Government should give more subsidies in this regards.”
Sources said, about three crore kidney patients are in the country and 1.30 crore of them get dialysis regularly.
On spot visit on Sunday, Nasir Ahmed (47) from Cumilla has been getting dialysis services from Gonosashthaya Nogor Hospital at Dhanmondi in the capital.
Nasir said that previously he was getting dialysis services at Universal Hospital in Noakhali for years.
But it charged Tk 3,600 on every occasion which was unbearable for him.
Nasir said that later he came to Dhaka and started taking dialysis at a private hospital in Tejgaon Industrial Area.
But that hospital charged Tk 3000 every time, which also was a burden for him.
Finally he got information about Gonosashthaya Nogor Hospital and paying only Tk 2000 for three times dialysis in a week.
Ziaur Rahman, a 60 years old patient of Zigatola of the capital also was taking the dialysis services from the Gonosashthaya Nogor Hospital.
Zia said that he is taking the services for last two years in different hospitals.
“In diabetic hospital (BIRDEM) it charged Tk 3500 for every times dialysis, it is not bearable for me anymore. Then I came here (Gonoshashthaya). It costs Tk 2,600 only for two times dialysis in a week,” he said.
Dr. Zafrullah Chowdhury said that Gonosashthaya is providing dialysis for ultra poor people costing Tk 1400 for three times per week.
It also arranged the services for middle class people charging from Tk 2200 to Tk 3500 thrice in a week.
“It costs Tk 1000 to 2500 for poor and middle class patients at night time’s dialysis respectively,” the trustee said.
Sources said, Indian medical company Sandor is rendering dialysis services in Bangladesh setting 30 machines in Dhaka and another 30 in Chattogram.
Meanwhile, the Gonoshashthaya has 150 dialysis machines in total, in Dhaka 125 and the rests 25 in Savar.
In an recent incident, kidney patients suffered badly as dialysis services remained halted for seven hours at two public hospitals in the capital and Chattogram on Tuesday.
It happened after Sandor Dialysis Services Bangladesh (Pvt) Ltd, which provides the services under a Public-Private Partnership (PPP) agreement, suddenly stopped its operations at the hospitals around 8:00am, demanding dues from the Directorate General of Health Services.
Following hours of negotiations, the services were resumed around 3:00pm.
Sandor officials, however, threatened they will completely shutdown the services if the dues are not paid quickly.
After the services were stopped, kidney patients gathered in front of the National Institute of Kidney Diseases and Urology (NIKDU) near Shyamoli in the capital in protest around 1:00pm, blocking traffic on the Mirpur-Azimpur Road.
Patients and their relatives also staged demo in Chattogram also.
