Mangaluru: To support economically underprivileged patients, SDM Multispecialty Hospital launched a free dialysis scheme worth Rs 1.4 crore annually, said Hemavati V Heggade after inaugurating the free dialysis services at SDM Multispecialty Hospital in Ujire, on Wednesday.
Dialysis patients require continuous care and incur significant expenses for their treatment. This becomes a challenge for poor patients, as their savings are often spent entirely on such medical care. To address this, free dialysis services were initiated as per the vision of Dharmasthala Dharmadhikari D Veerendra Heggade, she said.
Several initiatives to support the poor and needy have been undertaken by Sri Kshetra Dharmasthala. As part of this, ‘Sampurna Suraksha,’ a comprehensive health insurance plan for patients, was also implemented, she informed.
Speaking on the occasion, hospital MD M Janardhan highlighted that the dialysis services were introduced at SDM Multispecialty Hospital in Jan 2022. “The hospital has 11 dialysis machines in an air-conditioned facility. More than 30 dialysis sessions are conducted daily, and over 10,000 dialysis procedures were completed so far. The facility has been a boon for patients in and around Beltangady taluk. The introduction of the free dialysis services is expected to further benefit many patients,” he added.
Each dialysis session costs Rs 1,500, and patients typically require three to four sessions per week. With the introduction of the free dialysis services, patients can save between Rs 12,000 and Rs 24,000 per month. Under the scheme, each patient is eligible for up to 12 free dialysis sessions monthly.
In addition to this, SDM Multispecialty Hospital provided free medical services worth Rs 4.9 crore in 2024 and organised over 40 free medical camps in rural areas during the year.
Dr Satvik Jain, physician; Dr Balakrishna Bhat, general physician and Dr Devendra, medical superintendent, were present.
