In a significant move to bolster healthcare facilities for patients with kidney ailments as per the commitment of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann, Punjab Health and Family Welfare Minister Dr Balbir Singh on Wednesday inaugurated eight state-of-the-art Dialysis Centres— established with the support of Hans Foundation Dehradun, at different Government Hospitals across the state.
The Health Minister inaugurated the facility at Mata Kaushalya Government Hospital in Patiala, while simultaneously launching centres in seven other cities including Amritsar, Malerkotla, Moga, Goniana, Fazilka, Faridkot, and Jalandhar virtually. The Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between Nodal Officer for Dialysis Programme Dr Rupinder Singh Gill and Group Senior Manager from Hans Foundation Seema Singh in the presence of Health Minister Dr Balbir Singh on February 27, 2024.
As per the MoU, the Hans Foundation will be providing trained medical officers and other staff, consumables, dialysis machines and RO plants to the department and will supervise the functioning of these centres. Dr Balbir Singh said that under the guidance of Chief Minister Bhagwant Singh Mann this groundbreaking collaboration with the Hans Foundation aims to provide free-of-cost dialysis facilities and significantly improve access to renal care across the state.
He said that by utilizing ABHA ID compliance, any patient can access dialysis services at any centre across the state. In addition to free dialysis, all the essential medications will also be provided at free of cost, he said, while adding that the program adopts a holistic approach, addressing both the medical and financial challenges faced by kidney disease patients.
“Initially, the dialysis centres have been established in eight government facilities benefitting thousands of needy patients, while, the program plans to expand to all the government health facilities, ensuring accessible and quality healthcare for all,” said Dr Balbir Singh. He said that with the establishment of 872 Aam Aadmi Clinics Punjab's primary healthcare facilities have received a significant boost, paving the way for substantial decrease in kidney ailments in the coming years.
He attributes the majority of kidney failures to high blood pressure and diabetes, emphasizing that these clinics and free availability of drugs have been instrumental in early diagnosis and treatment of these conditions.The Health Minister commended the Hans Foundation, a Public Charitable Trust dedicated to enhancing quality of life, for their steadfast commitment to expanding healthcare services in Punjab.
He also emphasised that the state government has been prioritising Public-NGO partnerships over Public-Private partnerships, as this model is more beneficial to the public. Dr Balbir Singh further highlighted that Punjab’s Primary Care model and the Farishtey Scheme, which ensures last-mile delivery of medicines, were recently praised at a seminar in Nairobi, Kenya, as models to be adopted globally.
He also announced plans to equip all district hospitals in Punjab with emergency services, NICU, and ICU facilities. He also invited NGOs to collaborate with the Punjab Government in both health and medical education sectors to provide better healthcare services to the people.
Meanwhile, 30 new dialysis machines were inaugurated on Wednesday, with six installed at MKH Patiala, three each at other hospitals, and one machine specifically reserved for HIV-positive patients. Currently, the state has 41 sub-divisional hospitals and 23 district hospitals, of which 39 are equipped with dialysis facilities. The state government aims to increase this number to 64 in the near future.