The hospital has provided its services free of cost, including the required medicines and dialyzers, for the first week. [break]
A meeting of the hospital development board held Friday decided to charge Rs 250 per dialysis session, which is very nominal compared to the charge at other hospitals in the country.
Normally, the cost of a dialysis at private centers ranges from Rs 3,000 to 6,000. A patient needing dialysis has to go to a dialysis center thrice a week and get hooked to the machine for four hours at a time.
"The hospital board has decided to provide the service for Rs 250 but patients have to bring their own medicine and dialyzer," said Dr Pukar Shrestha, director of the hospital. He said that the hospital is working to run its own dispensary, which will sell medicines and dialyzers at a minimal profit. "Then patients can buy medicine and dialyzers at the hospital pharmacy at an affordable rate," he added.
The hospital has installed 20 dialyzer machines and is striving to bring all the machines into operation soon. "Due to the problems of power cuts we have been hesitating to run all the machines at once," Dr Shrestha said, adding, "We are requesting Nepal Electricity Authority (NEA) for a separate line to ensure 24 hour power supply to the hospital." He said NEA officials are positive about providing a separate line to the hospital and had told them that they have ordered the required equipment from India.
The hospital is operating three machines and 80 kidney patients have registered their names for dialysis.
The hospital said that an additional 20 dialysis machines will be purchased in the coming fiscal year.
People suffering from kidney failure require periodic dialysis for life unless they undergo kidney transplant. Renal patients can end up losing all their property to pay for dialysis and then die, leaving their families destitute.
Patients seeking renal services at Bir Hospital have to wait for years because of the long waiting list. Hospital authorities said a new patient can get dialysis only if an existing patient dies or goes for transplant.
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