Sunday 15 March 2009

No More Free Dialysis in Punjab

. Sunday 15 March 2009

WITH the departure of former Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, the hopes of kidney patients of free dialysis services in government hospitals in the province have dashed. On the occasion of World Kidney Day on Thursday, the plight of poor kidney patients in Punjab was aggravated due to discontinuation of free dialysis services in Mayo Hospital, Services Hospital, Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, Lahore General Hospital, Jinnah Hospital and other public sector hospitals like DHQ and THQ hospitals in all districts of the province. The previous Punjab government, led by former Chief Minister Mian Shahbaz Sharif, had given a kiss of life to poor kidney patients by offering free dialysis services in all government hospitals in the province. Mian Shahbaz Sharif had airlifted 60 dialysis machines to Pakistan after paying heavy airfreight charges with a view to providing free dialysis services in all public sector hospitals in all districts of Punjab and save lives of the poor kidney patients.

The kidney patients required two to three dialysis interventions each month costing Rs 2,000 to Rs 2,500 each dialysis, which is simply out of their meagre resources.

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