In a significant development for patients with chronic renal diseases, the dialysis centre at Kamala Nehru Hospital (KNH) is poised to reopen next month. The Pune Municipal Corporation’s (PMC) health department has issued a 10-year work order to ‘THS Wellness Private Limited,’ bringing relief to hundreds of patients who faced inconvenience due to the centre’s closure for the past four months.
The dialysis centre at KNH was shut down in November last year after the PMC terminated the contract with a previous private player, citing an inability to operate at full capacity and reports of laxities. Dr Sanjeev Wavare, Assistant Health Officer at PMC, explained that following the termination, a tender was floated, attracting interest from seven private players. The contract was ultimately awarded to THS Wellness Private Limited, which offered the lowest bid.
THS Wellness Private Limited is set to install 15 dialysis machines at the KNH facility, providing treatment at rates lower than those of the Central Government Health Scheme (CGHS). Dr Wavare emphasized that the private firm will bear the expenses for medical equipment, manpower, medicines, and running costs, ensuring quality service despite an increase in dialysis charges.
The KNH dialysis centre, established by PMC seven years ago, previously served 200 to 250 patients monthly before its closure. During the shutdown, patients faced difficulties accessing dialysis services at other PMC-run centres located farther away.
Dr Wavare assured that THS Wellness will solely manage the facility, focusing on providing efficient services. “The PMC has eight dialysis centres in the city with a total of 65 machines,” he added.
