Hyderabad: Telangana Health Minister Damodar Rajanarasimha on Saturday, April 18, said that 79 more dialysis centres with a capacity of 416 beds will be set up in the state to ensure that every patient reaches the centres within 20 to 25 minutes.

Speaking at the annual conference of the Society of Renal Nutrition and Metabolism at Mind Space in Hyderabad, the minister stated that non-communicable diseases like diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and kidney disease have become a major challenge to public health, especially in urban areas.

To tackle this, the government is developing a comprehensive health system that creates awareness on disease prevention and helps in early-stage disease detection, treatment, and rehabilitation.

He said that dialysis services have been significantly expanded in government hospitals, and with the establishment of 16 new dialysis centres last year, the total number of centres has reached 102.

Additionally, 155 additional new dialysis machines are being set up to reduce waiting time in 67 centers.

Around 16,500 patients are being given free dialysis services under the Aarogyasri scheme, with 10,000 people receiving services in government hospitals and 6,500 people in private hospitals. The government is undertaking an expenditure of Rs 220 crore every year for these services.

“Under the Jeevan Daan program, Telangana has achieved 2,700 kidney transplants. We have also adopted the Transplantation of Human Organs and Tissues Act (THOTA) and are encouraging organ donation by simplifying the brain death certification process,” the minister said.

The minister said that diseases like diabetes and hypertension can also be prevented through proper eating habits and regular exercise, and appealed to doctors to help make Telangana a role model for public health.