By Lilaraj Khadka, Birtamod, May 30: Kidney patients are paying a high sum for dialysis when the hospitals are reluctant to providing free dialysis services to them.

Mechi Regional Hospital in Jhapa and private hospitals, including Om Sai Hospital, Birtamod, City Hospital, and Manmohan Community Hospital of Birtamod are providing dialysis services.

Except for the Manmohan Hospital of Birtamod, other hospitals are providing free dialysis services to kidney patients with the assistance of the government.

According to the Chief consultant at Mechi Regional hospital Dr. Pitambar Thakur, the government is providing Rs. 2,500 for each kidney dialysis. Although the government provided free service, hospitals return the kidney patients saying that they lacked space for the patients.

The patients get recommendations from the municipality and provincial government for free dialysis for kidney patients. Sudha Darji, 31, of Kankai Municipality, has been getting dialysis service from Om Sai hospital two times a week.

Darji asked for free services from the hospital showing the recommendation letter from the concerned authorities, but the hospital said that she needed to wait for the free services, and if paid, her dialysis would be done without waiting.

“We are paying Rs. 8,000 for each dialysis,” said the husband of the patient, Prakash Darji. Sudha underwent dialysis 12 times at the hospital. After her both kidneys stopped functioning, Renuka Darji, who also hails from Kankai Municipality, is also paying Rs.8, 000 for dialysis service.

“Though I visited many hospitals for free dialysis, I was said that I need to wait in a long queue. So, at last, I was compelled to pay,” said Darji. “We are collecting funds from our community for dialysis of my mother,” said Prakash Darji, son of Renuka.

Dr. Thakur, the chief consultant of Mechi hospital, said that no hospitals are allowed to charge any penny for the dialysis of kidney patients. Due to the long queue of patients, it is true that they do not get the service immediately, but hospitals should not charge a high amount.