<p> Bengaluru: For the first time, the Karnataka government will be providing free peritoneal dialysis (PD) services to selected patients in the comfort of their own home under the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP). </p>.<p>To kick off the initiative, 350 patients — around 10 from each district — will be identified by nephrologists at the district level, according to an order issued on September 11. </p>.Dialysis services suspended at Sikkim's STNM Hospital due to water contamination.<p>"Under the PMNDP, hemodialysis services have been successfully launched across all districts of Karnataka. The inclusion of PD services in district hospitals, which currently have nephrologists, will provide more options to patients and provide easy access to healthcare," states the order. </p>.<p>While hemodialysis filters blood using an external machine and often requires hospital visits, PD uses the patient's own abdominal lining and a special fluid to filter waste at home.</p>.<p>The order further states that PD bags and necessary consumables will be procured through Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (KSMSCL) at an estimated cost of Rs 26,400 per patient per month for six months, amounting to Rs 5.54 crore. </p>.<p>Catheter insertion, hospital charges, training and first PD session costs will be borne by Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST) under the Ayushman Bharat – Arogya Karnataka (ABArK) scheme. </p>.<p>Harsh Gupta, Principal Secretary to the Department of Health & Family Welfare, told DH that the initiative is set to be launched in a month. </p>.<p>"A patient usually undergoes 12 cycles of dialysis per month. So we will end up spending around Rs 20,000 in the hospital per month for a patient. Financially speaking, the cost incurred by the government for both PD and hemodialysis is about the same. However, with this initiative, the patient will end up saving on the travel cost to the hospital," he elaborated. </p>.<p>The health department will soon start training district-level officials to carry out the at-home procedure.</p>.<p>"We believe this initiative can help people become more consistent with dialysis care. Based on the response, we plan to expand the number of beneficiaries in the future," Gupta added. </p>
<p> Bengaluru: For the first time, the Karnataka government will be providing free peritoneal dialysis (PD) services to selected patients in the comfort of their own home under the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP). </p>.<p>To kick off the initiative, 350 patients — around 10 from each district — will be identified by nephrologists at the district level, according to an order issued on September 11. </p>.Dialysis services suspended at Sikkim's STNM Hospital due to water contamination.<p>"Under the PMNDP, hemodialysis services have been successfully launched across all districts of Karnataka. The inclusion of PD services in district hospitals, which currently have nephrologists, will provide more options to patients and provide easy access to healthcare," states the order. </p>.<p>While hemodialysis filters blood using an external machine and often requires hospital visits, PD uses the patient's own abdominal lining and a special fluid to filter waste at home.</p>.<p>The order further states that PD bags and necessary consumables will be procured through Karnataka State Medical Supplies Corporation Limited (KSMSCL) at an estimated cost of Rs 26,400 per patient per month for six months, amounting to Rs 5.54 crore. </p>.<p>Catheter insertion, hospital charges, training and first PD session costs will be borne by Suvarna Arogya Suraksha Trust (SAST) under the Ayushman Bharat – Arogya Karnataka (ABArK) scheme. </p>.<p>Harsh Gupta, Principal Secretary to the Department of Health & Family Welfare, told DH that the initiative is set to be launched in a month. </p>.<p>"A patient usually undergoes 12 cycles of dialysis per month. So we will end up spending around Rs 20,000 in the hospital per month for a patient. Financially speaking, the cost incurred by the government for both PD and hemodialysis is about the same. However, with this initiative, the patient will end up saving on the travel cost to the hospital," he elaborated. </p>.<p>The health department will soon start training district-level officials to carry out the at-home procedure.</p>.<p>"We believe this initiative can help people become more consistent with dialysis care. Based on the response, we plan to expand the number of beneficiaries in the future," Gupta added. </p>