Meerut: The proposed dialysis unit, which was to be a private-public partnership model, at PL Sharma district hospital has hit a roadblock with both parties disagreeing over expenses on electricity and water supply. Authorities at the hospital said that the private partner refused to accept certain points in the agreement. They added that now, the government was making provisions to bear the cost of the same and streamline the project.Speaking to TOI, Dr. PK Bansal, superintendent-in-chief, PL Sharma district hospital, said, “According to the agreement, the electricity and water charges had to be borne by the private partner but there are certain things that they have not agreed on. The ambitious project has hit a small roadblock. However, to ensure that the initiative does not lose momentum, government authorities have agreed to provide electricity as well as water connection that is needed for dialysis. Once all these arrangements are in place, the dialysis unit will start soon.”The initiative had come in the backdrop of the government’s plan to start dialysis units at state-run hospitals on public-private-partnership model. The facility was first be extended to 24 A-class cities like Kanpur, Allahabad, Varanasi, Gautam Buddha Nagar and then taken to other parts.UP has a severe shortage of facility of dialysis, a life-saving process for patients with kidney failure. According to estimates available with the health department, there are 1.83 lakh patients needing any kind of dialysis in UP but only 150 machines available, majority of them in private sector. The norms stated that there should be 120 dialysis machines per 1000 patients which means UP requires nearly 20,000 machines to help its patients suffering from kidney diseases.“The Heritage Hospitals –a private partner – is setting up its dialysis unit in the building of the male ward unit’s first floor. While the building is already ready, the company has started setting up lines required for dialysis and reverse osmosis process used in the same. This will be completed very soon, once electricity connection is provided,” said Dr. Bansal.

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