Pending Govt Dues Force Dialysis Centres to Suspend Services
Srinagar, Jun 14: As private hospitals and dialysis centres in Jammu and Kashmir have announced to suspend services from July 1 under PMJAY scheme due to pending payments, hundreds of poor kidney patients fear they will lose their only lifeline, leaving them staring at an uncertain future.
Khursheed Ahmad Ganai, a kidney failure patient from Sopore, said the proposed suspension of services by private dialysis centres would have devastating consequences for hundreds of patients like him.
“We do not even have enough money to pay for transportation to the hospital. How can we afford dialysis on our own? If dialysis stops, it means death for us,” he said, his voice choked with emotion.
Ganai, who has been battling kidney disease for the past three years, requires two dialysis sessions every week. He has been receiving treatment under the PM-JAY SEHAT scheme at Guru Hospital in Sopore.
Unemployed and struggling to support his family, he is the father of three daughters.
“The private dialysis centres have announced that they will stop services from July 1. We have nothing at home and are already going through immense hardship. If these centres shut down their dialysis services, we do not know where we will go,” he said.
Appealing to the authorities to intervene, Ganai said the lives of dialysis patients depend on uninterrupted treatment and any disruption could prove fatal.
Tariq Ahmad Mir, a dialysis patient from Tragpora in Baramulla, said he has been undergoing regular dialysis for the past two years and fears that the suspension of services under the PM-JAY scheme could put his life at risk.
“There are no earning members in my family. We are already struggling to make ends meet, and the PM-JAY scheme was our only support. If these services stop, it will be a matter of life and death for patients like me,” he said.
With tears in his eyes, Tariq said dialysis is not a choice but a necessity for survival. “We are patients fighting for our lives every day. This scheme gave us hope and the chance to continue living despite our illness. If it is discontinued, many of us will be left helpless with nowhere to go,” he said, appealing to the authorities to ensure uninterrupted treatment for dialysis patients.
On June 9, J&K Private Hospitals and Dialysis Centres Association (JKPHDA) announced the de-emphasis from Ayushman Bharat–SEHAT Scheme from July 1, alleging non-payment of approved claims and non-compliance with National Health Authority (NHA) guidelines.
It has left the patients in fear and uncertainty.
“Where will we go? We come for dialysis 2–3 times every week to stay alive. If hospitals stop services, it’s a death sentence for us,” said Shakeela, a patient from Ganderbal.
“Every year we face the same issue of non-payment to dialysis centres. Then services stop and we are forced to agitate on roads. Why should we suffer every time? Kindly solve the issue once for all so that we don’t suffer,” she said.
Around 1,500 dialysis patients receive life-saving treatment daily under Ayushman Bharat–SEHAT across 160 empanelled hospitals and dialysis centres in J&K. For them, dialysis is not a choice it is survival.
“Patients should not be made to suffer or protest on roads for their right to treatment. A permanent solution is needed so that the PM’s flagship Ayushman Bharat–SEHAT scheme continues uninterrupted for those who depend on it,” said Majid, another dialysis patient.
The JKPHDA has stated that hospitals don’t want to stop services but due to Rs 260 crore pending for months and years, there is an acute shortage of drugs and machines need repair.
Dialysis patients and their attendants have appealed to the Lieutenant Governor and Chief Minister of J&K to intervene immediately and resolve the payment issue once and for all.
