J&K: Kidney patients in Poonch receive free dialysis, thank Modi govt
T
he Prime Minister Dialysis Unit installed at Raja Sukhdev Singh District Hospital in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir (J&K) has come as a boon for the local residents as well as those residing in remote locations across the Line of Control (LoC). Thousands of kidney patients are taking advantage of the Centre-run scheme.
The Raja Sukhdev Singh District Hospital in Poonch, situated near the Line of Control (LoC), was established under the Pradhan Mantri Dialysis Scheme. Today, scores of kidney patients from the town, as well as those from remote locations near the border, are visiting this center to receive dialysis free of cost. Previously, these patients had to travel to Chandigarh, Delhi, Jammu, or Srinagar for treatment, which burdened them with extra travel expenses. However, that is no longer necessary as they can now get free dialysis locally, saving both time and money.
Dr. Nusrat-ul-Nisa, Medical Superintendent of Raja Sukhdev Singh District Hospital, stated that hundreds of people are benefiting from the dialysis unit. The hospital staff are providing services day and night. “This month, more than 200 sessions have been completed, and over 39 patients have received treatment. On certain occasions, special emergency camps are also held, and hospital workers spend extra hours providing free dialysis,” she added.
Lal Hussain, a local resident of Poonch whose wife Shakina Begum has been receiving dialysis for the last two years, expressed gratitude towards Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching such a scheme in their town. “We are poor people; how can we afford to visit Jammu, Chandigarh, and Delhi every month for dialysis? The opening of a dialysis center in Poonch has greatly benefited us,” he said.
Notably, the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP) was launched in 2016-17 to provide free dialysis services to those below the Poverty Line (BPL) at district hospitals across the country. The program has been implemented in all 36 states and Union Territories (UTs) across 641 districts at 1,350 dialysis centers with the deployment of 8,871 haemodialysis machines as of December 31, 2022. A total of 17.27 lakh beneficiaries have availed themselves of free dialysis services up to December 2022.
✔️ J&K: Kidney patients in Poonch receive free dialysis, thank Modi govt
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