The Kannur District Panchayat has decided to utilise the prize money of ₹20 lakh it received for being the second best district panchayat in the State, to procure medicines for kidney transplant patients.
District Panchayat President K.V. Sumesh said the civic body had won the Swaraj Trophy.
However, considering the plight of several renal patients who were struggling to buy medicines post-kidney transplants, it was decided to utilise the prize money to help them.
He said ₹50 lakh had already been set aside for treatment or renal patients in the annual budget of the panchayat. However, the prize money will be added to the budget allocation in view of the huge number of applications from patients seeking aid, he added.
240 beneficiaries
Mr. Sumesh pointed out that each patient spent between ₹4,000 to ₹20,000 a month on medication. There are 240 beneficiaries in the district. In addition, around 150 applications are under the consideration of the district panchayat.
Patients who have undergone kidney transplant and do not receive assistance under other programmes will get help from the civic body, he clarified.
The initiative is estimated to cost ₹1 crore a year. Funds will be mobilised from the public for the programme, he said.
District Panchayat Vice President P.P. Divya, permanent committee members K. Sobha, K.P. Jayapalan, and T.T. Ramla, district panchayat member Thomas Varghese and secretary V. Chandran were present.
