CKD management costs ₹2-5 lakh annually, AB-PMJAY covers only 15 days post-transplant

Who it concerns: Ministry of Health and Family Welfare; the general public, particularly the estimated 138 million people with CKD, agricultural workers, and patients requiring dialysis or organ transplants.

What the committee found

• Committee recommended extending Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) post-transplant coverage from 15 days to one year and increasing the family health cover from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 10 lakh.
• Committee recommended filling vacant specialist posts in states like Bihar, Odisha, Rajasthan, Assam, and Chhattisgarh, and establishing dedicated nephrology departments in government medical colleges.
• Committee recommended a prevention-first strategy using Ayushman Arogya Mandirs and ASHA/ANM workers for early identification of high-risk individuals.
• Committee recommended mandatory reporting of estimated Glomerular Filtration Rate (eGFR) with every serum creatinine test at no additional cost, and biannual Kidney Function Tests for those aged 20 and above.
• Committee recommended establishing transplant facilities in at least three government medical colleges in large states and one in small states/UTs, and simplifying organ retrieval protocols.
• Committee recommended a national framework for preventing and surveilling CKD of unknown causes (CKDu) in coordination with Ministries of Agriculture, Jal Shakti, Environment, and Labour, including workplace safety measures for agricultural workers.

Also in the document

• The Committee noted that the cost of managing CKD ranges from two to five lakh rupees annually, while maintenance dialysis costs three to six lakh rupees annually.
• The Committee observed that AB-PMJAY kidney transplant packages currently cover post-hospitalisation care for only 15 days, excluding long-term medication costs.
• The Committee reported zero sanctioned and in-position nephrologists at district hospitals in a number of states, with specialists visiting only once every three to four months.
• The Committee noted that between 2019 and 2023, women accounted for 64% of living organ donors while men accounted for 70% of recipients.
• The Committee observed that CKD of unknown causes (CKDu) accounts for 16% of CKD cases in India and disproportionately affects young agricultural and outdoor workers.