In order to provide healthcare access for rural kidney patients, the Andhra Pradesh government has intensified efforts to establish 13 new dialysis centres in secondary hospitals across the state. Health and Medical Education Minister Satya Kumar Yadav announced that the initiative aims to bring life-saving dialysis services closer to patients in remote and rural regions.

The minister stated that, in addition to previously approved facilities, five newly sanctioned centres have been added, taking the total to 13. Of these, two centres are located in tribal-area hospitals, where services will begin shortly, while the remaining centres are expected to become operational by April 2026.

Responding to requests from public representatives, dialysis centres have been sanctioned under the Pradhan Mantri National Dialysis Programme (PMNDP) at government hospitals in Railway Koduru in Tirupati district, Kondepi in Prakasam district, Kovvur in East Godavari, Maidukuru in Kadapa district, and Nandigama in NTR district.

Earlier, tenders were already floated for six secondary hospitals at Bhimavaram, Pileru, Venkatagiri, Addanki, Sunnipenta, and Jammalamadugu, where one dialysis centre will be set up in each hospital. The newly approved five centres will also be included in the same tender process. Meanwhile, dialysis units at Seethampeta and S. Kota have been fully equipped and are ready to commence services shortly. Each dialysis centre will be equipped with five machines, installed at an estimated cost of Rs. 85 lakh per centre. The total expenditure for all 13 centres is expected to be Rs. 11.05 crore. Each unit will conduct three dialysis sessions per machine daily, enabling approximately 375 dialysis sessions per month per centre, significantly improving treatment availability.

The minister said that under the coalition government, 25 dialysis centres have been established or approved within just 19 months. In contrast, only 19 centres were set up during the previous YSRCP government’s five-year tenure.

Under the PMNDP, free dialysis services worth Rs. 46 crore have already been provided through secondary hospitals till December 2025, benefiting 6,425 patients through more than 4.12 lakh dialysis sessions.

Currently, free dialysis services are being delivered through 247 centres across the state under the NTR Vaidya Seva Trust and the Directorate of Secondary Health. During 2024-25 alone, the coalition government spent Rs. 164 crore on dialysis care, offering critical relief to thousands of kidney patients who would otherwise incur heavy expenses at private hospitals.