CHATTOGRAM, Jan 12, 2023 (BSS)-The process for installation of 10 new dialysis machines at Chattogram Medical College Hospital (CMCH) has started after protesting of kidney patients and their relatives.

 
The hospital authorities confirmed the arrival of 10 new machines today from the Ministry of Health to CMCH to provide dialysis services to the kidney patients.
The machines have arrived at a time when the Sandor Dialysis Center set up in the hospital under the Public Private Partnership Project (PPP).
 
The hospital authorities informed that these machines will be installed in the kidney ward within next 15 days providing the dialysis services to the helpless and poor patients at a low cost price.
 
The authorities hoped that the crisis of the patients will go away very soon.
According to CMCH authorities, there are now seven dialysis machines including three in the corona unit of the hospital. Now that the outbreak of Corona has reduced, these three machines will be used to serve the poor and ultra poor patients.
 
Sources said a total of 17 machines will provide uninterrupted dialysis services to the poor patients after the commissioning of 10 new machines.
 
“Moreover, kidney patients can get dialysis services at low cost from the government here. A patient has to pay TK 20 thousand at a time for six months. This dialysis service will be provided at Tk 416 for two sessions per week”, the source added.
 
Apart from this, it will be possible to provide dialysis services to more than 100 poor patients if 10 new dialysis machines are introduced here.
 
CMCH Director Brigadier General Dr. Shamim Ahsan informed the journalist that ten new dialysis machines have arrived and it will be installed in the ward within the next 15 days.

“A total of 17 machines, including the previous seven can provide dialysis services to poor patients at a lower cost than private ones,” he added.
 
Those poor patients who were getting subsidy can undergo dialysis here as per the recommendation of the hospital authorities, the sources added.
 
Earlier, Kidney patients and their relatives protested in Chattogram for a week against the increase in the dialysis fee of the private institution Sandor and the reduction of subsidy on dialysis by the government.
 
Sandor Dialysis Services Bangladesh (Pvt.) Limited, a private organization under CMCH Hospital, has been providing dialysis services to the kidney patients. The one-time dialysis fee has been increased to Tk 535 instead of Tk 510 with subsidy and Tk 2,935 instead of Tk 2,785 without subsidy from January 1.