Patients saved ₹16,000 crore under Centre’s free dialysis scheme

New Delhi: Patients saved ₹16,000 crore under the government’s flagship Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP), meant for ensuring free dialysis to eligible beneficiaries in all district hospitals across the country.

Under the scheme, 2.649 million kidney patients have been covered, with 31.7 million dialysis sessions conducted so far, the government said on Wednesday.

Dialysis, a treatment for kidney failure, removes waste from the blood. The programme was rolled out in 2016 as part of the National Health Mission (NHM). 

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Big out-of-pocket expenditure savings

“Under PMNDP, 36 states are covered with 748 districts. We have established 1,575 dialysis centres across the country and 2.649 million patients have been covered so far. Around 31.7 million dialysis sessions have been conducted which is entirely free of cost,” health minister J.P. Nadda told reporters in New Delhi while highlighting the achievements of NHM.

“The net out-of-pocket expenditure saving under PMNDP is of ₹8,000 crore. Additional out-of-pocket expenditure savings on dialysis programme carried out under Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (PM-JAY) is of more than ₹8,000 crore. So, this amounts to a total out-of-pocket expenditure savings of about ₹16,000 crore and the responsibility has been taken by the government,” he said.

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Dr. Vikas Agarwal, director and head of department, robotic urology, kidney transplant, Aakash Healthcare, New Delhi, said that the cost of dialysis in private hospitals can vary. “For a patient undergoing dialysis for the first time, the cost of inserting dialysis lines and using the dialyzer can be up to ₹10,000. However, for routine dialysis sessions, the cost typically ranges between ₹2,000 and ₹5,000 per session.”

In FY24, over 6.235 million hemodialysis sessions were provided, benefiting more than 453,000 patients, as per the health ministry. With the objective to ensure accessibility and portability under One Nation-One Dialysis concept, the government launched National PMNDP portal on 5 May 2022 and is operational across the states for registration of dialysis patients using Ayushman Bharat Health Account (ABHA) card.

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16% prevalence, 220,000 new patients every year

According to the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), the burden of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in India is significant, indicating a prevalence of around 16% in the general population.

The health ministry data suggests that every year, about 220,000 new patients of end-stage renal disease (ESRD) get added in India, resulting in additional demand for 34 million dialysis sessions.

Market size of dialysis treatment

Industry reports suggest that India's dialysis treatment market size was valued at $560 million in 2023, and is expected to reach $870 million by 2030, at a CAGR of 6.5%. The dialysis market is a segment of the healthcare sector focused on providing artificial kidney functions to individuals with impaired renal function.