Friendly dialysis centres don’t let patients feel the pinch of cash crunch

There are many dialysis centres in the city run by NGOs and private ones. The average cost for dialysis works up to Rs 1,700 per session at any of the private centres and Rs 375-500 per session at the NGO-run centres. Most patients having to undergo dialysis twice or thrice every week and with a section of them from the middle or lower income groups, the recent demonetisation move has come as a huge setback as most of them pay by cash. 

However, the dialysis centres across the city are stepping up to ensure that the patients aren’t inconvenienced, coming up with alternative arrangements. At the Suraksha Dialysis Centre that has nine machines operating two shifts six days a week, there have been patients who have not been able to pay by cheque. “These are people who have never signed a cheque. Though we have made payment flexible for them and are accepting cheques drawn by any family member, they still are unable to pay. 

We have extended the payment deadline and told them they can pay whenever they are able to draw cash from the bank. It is difficult to manage, but this is necessary as dialysis is a life-saving procedure. This is just a temporary issue,” says a source at the centre. Similarly, the Shree Jain Medical Relief Society, which operates dialysis centres in Mylapore, Perambur and Sowcarpet, has made alternative payment arrangements. 

Like Suraksha, this centre also charges Rs 500 per session. “Since these are emergency services, we were accepting the old currency notes till November 14. After that, apart from cheques, we have told patients that they can make the payment for two sessions after completing the second one,” says Rajithamba, who oversees the operations of the dialysis centres attached to the Trust. For the higher-end ones, insurance and debit and credit card payments methods have come in handy for patients.