KMC starts conducting expensive blood tests free of cost
Kolkata: The Kolkata Municipal Corporation (KMC) has started conducting costly blood tests free of cost for the treatment of kidney ailments, diabetes and heart and thyroid related problems.
A senior civic official said costly tests like the liver function test, kidney test, thyroid test, lipid profile and fasting and PP sugar tests are done at KMC laboratories situated in the boroughs, free of cost.
KMC has set up urban primary health centres in every ward, where treatment is done by specialised doctors. There are full-time and part-time doctors at the centres. A senior KMC doctor said the number of people suffering from diabetes and heart ailments has gone up sharply over the past few years. To combat the situation, special diabetic clinics have been opened in every borough where endocrinologists offer treatment to the patients. The clinics are being run once a week. The doctors treating diabetics in the wards refer critical patients to the special clinics.
He said what is most alarming is that children are often found to be suffering from diabetes because of sedentary lifestyle and wrong food habits. He said in many cases, the parents bring the children to the clinics but suddenly stop medicines when the sugar level comes under control.
However, many of these children are found to be suffering from total renal failure when they grow up. He said if the children are found to be suffering from diabetes, the parents should sit with the doctors separately and know about the disease as well as the treatment.
He said heart diseases are going up among people coming from economically weaker sections. Heart treatment is very costly and state-run hospitals are overcrowded. In KMC clinics, the patients are examined by expert doctors, who treat them. In addition to this, patients suffering from respiratory distress are also treated there.
It may be mentioned that KMC has set up 16 dengue clinics in Kolkata, where the patients are given medicines free of cost. The civic official regretted that as the tests are conducted free of cost, people prefer private laboratories to KMC labs. He said KMC will soon launch a campaign, urging pople to come to the KMC clinics and urban primary health centres.
