While funds under the legislators’ constituency development scheme are used to build roads, bus shelters, bridges etc., a Minister in the State government has conceived a novel idea so that the fruits of the efforts will remain long-lasting.
So was born the idea of building a dialysis centre and offering free dialysis to people living below poverty line, at a time when renal failure has become common among all classes of people.
Patients living above poverty line also could get dialysis done at a nominal cost of Rs. 500 at the centre.
The centre, named after Pandit Deendayal Upadhyaya, will be dedicated to the people by Chief Minister Jagadish Shettar here on November 28.
Rajajinagar MLA and Minister for Law, Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development S. Suresh Kumar has spent Rs. 2.1 crore from his constituency fund to build the centre on the BBMP health centre premises, near Old Police Station circle, 9th Main, Rajajinagar 2nd Block. The centre is being equipped with nine dialysis machines that can offer 18 dialysis a day initially.
First in State
Taking this correspondent around the centre, which is being given finishing touches, on Sunday, the Minister said that utilising legislators’ fund to build a healthcare facility under public-private partnership was the first of its kind in the State as well as in the country.
The centre has come up in a record time of six months, he said.
Initially, two four-hour dialysis procedures, totalling 18, will be done during the day. There are plans to introduce night dialysis later, he said.
He said that Rotary Bangalore Peenya has shown interest in managing the centre at its own cost and the government has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the club.
The club will bear all the expenditure related to the operation of the centre, including water and power bills, he said.
Other facilities
D.G. Badarinath from Rotary Bangalore Peenya and project director of the centre told The Hindu that managing the centre would cost an estimated Rs. 3 lakh a month. “We have to raise the funds besides creating a corpus. It is a challenging task and we are eager to render service,” he said.
Besides the dialysis facility, the centre would be equipped with a laboratory and an ophthalmology centre. Mr. Badarinath said that the ophthalmology centre will cater to diabetes patients as they are prone to vision-related problems. The centre will also offer counselling to family members of patients on how to prevent diabetes, the main reason for renal failure, he said.
