NorthEast thrusts on sustainable dialysis care system across the region

Guwahati: NorthEast thrusts on sustainable dialysis care system across the region

A strategic session on the sustainable dialysis care ecosystem in the northeastern region was organised at Guwahati with all stakeholders from Northeast states and private service providers engaged in delivery of dialysis services in the country.

The Regional Resource Center hosted the consultation programme on December 3, 2022, in Guwahati, Assam. It was inaugurated by Dr. Ashoke Roy, Director, RRCNE, (Centre), Professor (Dr.) Anup Kr. Barman, Director, Medical Education, Assam, and Dr. Ranjan Choudhury, Advisor, Health Care Technology, NHSRC, New Delhi.

The meeting's goal was to establish a long-lasting dialysis care ecosystem in the NER with the aid of private service partners under the public-private partnership paradigm. Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP) execution at all District Hospitals is sponsored by MoHFW as part of the National Health Mission.

The National Health Mission's Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Program (PMNDP) was unveiled by the Ministry of Health & Family Welfare in 2016. (NHM). By offering reasonably priced dialysis services, the PMNDP seeks to support District Hospitals. The initial stage of the initiative called for the construction of dialysis facilities throughout the nation's districts.

A free dialysis service is currently available to all BPL patients through PMNDP.

The various challenges pertaining to NER were discussed by Vishal Chauhan, IAS, Joint Secretary (Policy), MoHFW, Government of India. He also emphasised that money is not an issue; if money is required for site preparation for dialysis centres, it can be obtained from the NHM pool and will make it possible for more money to be released in the future.

Vishal Chauhan reiterated the purpose of the meeting once again.

Due to connectivity and transportation constraints, the North-East area often has a weak supply chain. The Northeast lacks a favourable dialysis environment for a number of reasons, including a shortage of nephrologists, a weak supply chain for equipment and consumables, a lack of educated people (dialysis technicians), inadequate after-sales service/spare parts availability, and more.

About 2.2 lakh new cases of end-stage renal disease are diagnosed each year in India, increasing the country's annual need for 3.4 crore dialysis treatments.

As more and more dialysis facilities are built in the State, the number of dialysis patients is rising. Between April and October 2022, more than 14500 new CKD patients were enrolled in the various public dialysis facilities in NER, and in addition to the services received in the private sector, 1.40 lakh dialysis sessions were performed. A Central Registry will be very helpful in managing such a large population.

As more and more dialysis facilities are built in the State, the number of dialysis patients is rising. Between April and October 2022, more than 14500 new CKD patients were enrolled in the various public dialysis facilities in NER, and in addition to the services received in the private sector, 1.40 lakh dialysis sessions were performed.

A Central Registry will be very helpful in managing such a large population.

One State-One Dialysis will ultimately evolve into One Nation-One Dialysis across the nation.

By 2022–2033, Assam, Sikkim, and Tripura are planned to have dialysis services in every district, however the other five North Eastern States, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Mizoram, and Nagaland, are still trailing. As of October 2022, 400 devices would have been deployed in the NER's 72 Public Health Centers spread throughout 64 districts.

State of Manipur, Meghalaya, Nagaland, and Sikkim have implemented the initiative internally, while the states of Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, and Tripura have done so through public-private partnerships.

In NER, as part of the National Health Mission, the path toward "One Nation, One Dialysis" has already begun. The core team from MoHFW and the service partners in PPPmodel held a lengthy conversation about creating a strong ecosystem for scaling up dialysis services in the Northeast area in order to accelerate the work in NER.

ALSO READ: National Conclave on NIRDPR deliberated on holistic analysis of SFCs