Dialysis centres launched across the State, including rural and semi-urban areas, to render treatment to kidney patients by NephroPlus, service provider in collaboration with the State government under PPP project, in July last year has evoked a good response.

Recognising high incidence of kidney failure in Uddanam region of Srikakulam, out of dialysis units opened at 26 government hospitals of which eight teaching hospitals, five are under operation at the district headquarters hospital, Srikakulam and Palasa, Kavigiri and Sompeta areas.

Founder and CEO of NephroPlus Vikram Vuppala told reporters here on Wednesday that they were treating over 5,000 patients and so far completed 2.5 lakh dialsys treatments.

All NTR Arogya Sri card-holders are eligible for free treatment.

He said Andhra Pradesh was the first State in the country to offer a pension of ?.2500 to patients suffering from kidney ailments.

Stating that within a year, they wanted to render the treatment to 10,000 patients, he said NephroPlus was India’s largest and the world’s eighth biggest dialysis provider network offering high quality dialysis treatment. It has 140 centres spread over 85 cities across 18 States in the country.

Under the PPP project, Mr. Vuppala said they were charging the government ?967 per treatment, the lowest-ever by any service provider in the world.

He said the cause of high incidence of kidney failures in Uddanam region was still a mystery for nephrologists and experts from Harvard and other international institutes, he said it could be due to fluorosis or groundwater contamination.

*Original article online at http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/Visakhapatnam/5000-undergoing-free-dialysis-under-ppp-in-andhra-pradesh/article23598748.ece