Daijiworld Media Network - Bengaluru (MS)

Bengaluru, Nov 25: Certain tests for patients, who are on dialysis, will be done for free according to the new facility that is provided by the department of health and family welfare. This follows the mess up done by two private diagnostic labs on reports of patients. The said laboratories ruined the Hepatitis C Virus (HCV) reports of dialysis patients.

According to health department officials, in a recent incident, nine patients on dialysis were given negative report for HCV by private diagnostic laboratories. But they were double checked in government labs as they showed symptoms of HCV and it turned out to be positive. These incidents were reported from Magadi of Ramanagar district and K R Nagar of Mysuru. The health department officials are taking suitable action on the erring diagnostic centres. This information was given by Dr Selvaraj, deputy director, medical, department of health and family welfare.

A circular saying that tests like ELISA for HCV, HIV and HBV will be conducted free of cost in all the district hospitals for all patients on dialysis. This circular was issued by commissioner of health department, Pankaj Kumar Pandey.

"The immunity levels of patients on dialysis is very low. Their risk of contracting these infections is very high. It could be fatal. Karnataka is the first state to offer dialysis free of cost for all patients, irrespective of their economic status. The tests cost Rs 2,000 to 4,000 in private laboratories. This much amount of money cannot be afforded by poor patients, especially of rural areas. They do not have the knowledge to check the recognition given to such labs," said Dr Selvaraj.

In future, ELISA test for all the three infections of HIV, HCV and HBV will be done for free in district hospitals. Though dialysis centres are spread across the state, ELISA testing facility is available only in district hospitals. The government will make free transport arrangement to transport the blood sample of patients to the district hospital as per the information shared by Dr Selvaraj.

In addition, the circular also instructs that the samples of patients in government run centres, who are undergoing dialysis should be sent once in three months.