NephroPlus, a Hyderabad-based service provider, has taken up a project in Andhra Pradesh to provide free dialysis to those suffering from renal failure.

The project, launched in partnership with the Andhra Pradesh government, has proven to be a great success, worthy of replication in other States, according to founder Vikram Vuppala.

He was briefing the media here about the project, launched in August 2016, covering 26 hospitals in the State.

“We are providing dialysis at ₹1,000 per session to the patients, the cheapest in the country, and the AP government reimburses us under the Aroygyasri scheme. BPL category patients are eligible for the treatment. We have so far served more than 5,000 patients under the project,” he said.

He said the State government was also providing ₹2,500 a month as pension to the patients to afford them treatment. “Accessibility and affordability are the main problems when it comes to providing dialysis to patients. Unfortunately, most people suffering from renal failure die in India as dialysis is either not available or affordable. The AP government has taken up a great initiative to save such lives and give them a few more years of quality life,” he said.

He said: “Uddanam in Srikakulam district is one area from where many cases of renal failure have been reported over the years for reasons that have not been identified and analysed yet. Previously, the patients in the area used to suffer a lot, going either to Visakhapatnam or Odisha for dialysis and now dialysis is available to them in the vicinity. We have set up six centres in the area — one at Srikakulam, the district headquarters town, and five others in the area.”

He said the project was also being assessed on key performance indicators by an independent agency and the reports have been quite satisfactory.

Besides AP, NephroPlus had also taken up a small project in Uttarakhand, he added.

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