Mangaluru : The Government Wenlock Hospital here has helped more people access the free dialysis facility in addition of four dialysis machines . The centre had eight dialysis machines and four more machines were donated between February and June this year. With this, the centre has been catering to an average of 60 persons per day since May, said the in-charge of the centre, which is run by Kolkata-based firm Eskag Sanjeevini.

As many as 164 patients with renal problems, including 112 from below poverty line category, undergo dialysis at the centre. While 74 patients undergo three dialysis sessions per week, there are five patients who undergo two sessions per week. One machine caters to five patients and each dialysis session is of four hours.

A total of 1,497 dialysis sessions were held in April. It increased to 1,548 sessions in May and further to 1,562 sessions in June. The centre in-charge said that the average waiting list per day has now come down to 30. There are 14 health workers attending to patients at the centre.

The centre also does occasional dialysis sessions to those admitted in the hospital in case of poisoning, snake bite and those with obstructive uropathy. The hospital has placed four dialysis machines in the hospital’s COVID-19 block for dialysis for COVID-19 patients.

The first of the four additional machines valued at ₹5.8 lakh was donated by president of Rotary Club of Mangalore Archibald Menezes to hospital Superintendent Sadasahiva Shanbhog in the first week of February. This was followed by donation of two machines by Rotarian Satish Kamath and by Rotary South District president Nandini Ramachandran.

In June, Rotary District 3181 Governor Ranganath Bhat handed over to DC K.V. Rajendra the fourth machine and material worth ₹18 lakh for the hospital’s ICU.