Dialysis patients stage rally to demand release of funds

PESHAWAR: Dialysis patients from various cities of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa staged a protest here on Wednesday, urging the provincial government to reserve the reserve fund in the Sehat Card Plus programme.

Protesters said that the suspension of the reserve fund has pushed dialysis patients into a severe crisis.Speaking to journalists outside the Peshawar Press Club, the protesters, including Riaz Khan, Muhammad Ali, Arshad Ali, Farmanullah, Rashid Mughal, Muhammad Usman, Raees Khan and Zainullah Khan explained the gravity of the situation. They stated that dialysis patients required three sessions per week, each lasting four hours. They added that missing or delaying these sessions resulted in the accumulation of toxic substances in the body, which can be life-threatening.

“Initially, dialysis treatment was either free or covered under zakat funds. Three years ago, the provincial government included dialysis in the Sehat Card program. However, each session costs around Rs8,000 and monthly expenses can rise to hundreds of thousands of rupees when factoring in doctor fees and medication,” said one of the patients.

“One once the funds allocated in the health card runs out, patients are forced to bear the cost of treatment themselves, which is unaffordable for most,” said another patient.

They urged the government to either fully subsidise dialysis treatment or remove it from the Sehat Card program and reinstate the reserve fund immediately. They also demanded free medical and basic facilities for dialysis patients, similar to those provided in other hospitals.