AP only State providing pension to kidney ailment victims: CM

Amaravati: Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu said that the State government was the only State in the entire country which was providing pension to kidney patients every month. He said the government was helping Uddanam kidney patients undergo dialysis.

He was responding to the criticism of Jana Sena president Pawan Kalyan over the kidney patients issue. Naidu held a review meeting with the officials at the Secretariat on Saturday.

Chief Minister explained that the Health department collected blood samples from more than one lakh population in Uddanam area and was providing continuous treatment to more than 13,000 chronic kidney patients. Government has been providing Rs 2,500 pension to 2,761 patients. He said that they established seven reverse osmosis centres with an expenditure of Rs 17 crore for safe drinking water.

For every fortnight, there would be a health checkup by qualified nephrologists in that area, he added. There are five dialysis centres working round the clock with the help of 50 dialysis machines, the Chief Minister informed.

The dialysis centres are available at Palasa, Sompeta, Palakonda, Srikakulam RIMS and Tekkali. Government established special laboratory for chronic kidney disease cases, Chandrababu Naidu said.

He pointed out that the previous governments failed in providing such treatment to these patients. He said that if the opposition leaders and Pawan Kalyan wanted better services then they should give suggestions to the government instead of creating confusion among public.