By women, for women: Facility to offer free dialysis to the poor

Bengaluru: For Angel, 25, dialysis is the only hope for survival. Wife of an autorickshaw driver from Viveknagar, Angel's symptoms gradually got worse. When she went to the doctor with a swollen belly, she was diagnosed with acute kidney failure and prescribed dialysis every alternate day. Her husband had to pay through his nose to bear the cost.

Shantamma, 75, a resident of Rajarajeshwari Nagar, has been on dialysis for two years now. After undergoing an eye surgery, she developed hypoglycaemia (deficiency of glucose), memory loss, swelling in legs and fever. Doctors found that both her kidneys had stopped functioning. The diagnosis put Shantamma in a spot as she had already spent most of her savings. However, she had no option but to heed the doctor's advice.

Coming to the rescue of women like Angel and Shantamma, Inner Wheel Club of Bengaluru (an all-woman club) has set up a dialysis centre for women, where they can undergo the procedure free of cost.

Said to be the first all-woman dialysis facility in India, it will be inaugurated on Friday at Rangadore Memorial Hospital in Chamarajpet, off KR Market.

"The 10-bed dialysis centre was the need of the hour. Within a couple of months, we will add more beds. We have been visiting the existing dialysis centre at the hospital for many years and bearing the treatment cost for a few patients. We have come across many women who undergo dialysis but don't continue with it citing shortage of money. Lack of treatment kills them slowly. We, as a community, have vowed to save them," said Geetha Gurunath, project convener, Inner Wheel Club.

Around 40% of patients visiting the hospital are women who come for dialysis. There are 150 women on the waiting list of the existing dialysis centre which has 40 machines. Bangalore Kidney Foundation, which runs the dialysis unit, is backing the new centre too.

Members and friends of the club have raised funds to set up the exclusive facility as part of the club's golden jubilee programme. "We also plan to start vocational training for women patients undergoing dialysis so they can support their families. We hope to extend the facility in other hospitals as well," Geetha added.



Source:timesofindia

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