Cost of Home Hemodialysis in India

After my last post, I got several enquiries on what exactly the cost of Home Hemodialysis in India was. I was also requested to create a separate post on this and so here it is.

The cost can be broken into two: Initial Cost and Recurring Cost.

The Initial Cost includes the cost of setting up the system at home including the machinery, plumbing and electrical connections. The Recurring Cost includes the cost of the consumables, the salary of the technician, water, electricity, maintenance cost of HD machine and RO plant etc.

We must bear in mind that each of these costs would vary greatly depending on location, frequency and duration of the dialysis sessions, type of dialyser, whether the dialyser and bloodline is being reused or not etc.

The numbers provided here are approximate ranges and will vary based on several factors. 

Initial Cost:

HD Machine - New: Rs. 5.5 - 6 L
RO Plant - New: Rs. 1-1.5L
Electrical and Plumbing: Rs. 50-75K
Bed: 0 to Rs. 1L (depending on whether you would use your own current bed or maybe a multifunction bed which allows you to move it to the Trendelenburg position (in case of low BP) etc.)

Recurring Cost:

Cost of a dialyser and bloodline is the same as that you probably pay at your current centre (Rs. 500 - Rs. 1000 for the dialyser depending on whether you are using low flux, middle flux or high flux and between Rs. 150 - 175 for the bloodline). The cost per session of this can be brought down if you reuse the dialyser.

Rest of the consumables would cost around Rs. 300-400 assuming a four hour session. For a nocturnal session, it would be slightly higher, maybe around Rs. 500-600.

Technicians would charge anywhere between Rs. 400 to Rs. 1000 per session depending on the location.

You would also need to spend some amount on maintenance of the RO and the HD machine.

Summary:

Initial cost: Rs. Rs. 7L to Rs. 10L depending on various options (everything new, for second hand, refurbished stuff, maybe about 60-70% of this)

Recurring cost: Rs. 1200 to Rs. 3500 per session

Nowadays, several dialysis providers also provide home hemodialysis services where they will take care of everything. This will include setting up the infrastructure, supplying consumables, arranging a technician and taking care of biomedical waste and machine maintenance. This will be more expensive though.

So, if you do the same frequency and duration as in your current hospital based dialysis centre, the monthly cost can come to around the same as that you are paying now. The initial cost is something that needs to be considered though. This can also be reduced if you go for a refurbished machine. There is a small chance of the machine giving problems though.

The beauty of home hemodialysis though is when you do it more frequently and for longer durations. For example, doing five nights a week, for 7-8 hours each night can improve clinical outcomes and quality of life dramatically. Several people report an almost normal quality of life with this regimen. Studies have also shown that the outcomes with this modality rival that of a deceased donor kidney transplant.

My own experience with this modality has been excellent. Honestly, I have got my life back and I have documented this in great detail on this blog as well. The return on investment has truly surpassed all expectations for me.


Comments

Asmita Desai said…
It was good to read your blog as it is very informative. Kindly guide me more as my son has kidney failure after one transplant and now he is on dialysis. My contact number is 7999995340. Please call me when you are available.
Kamal D Shah said…
Hello Asmita. Please email me with specific questions at kamal@kamaldshah.com. Thanks.
Unknown said…
Thanks for your Excellent Information on Home Hemodialysis.
Vinutha said…
Hi Kamal, it wonderful to your blog and kinda provides a hope that it may not be all dark times ahead
Could you please help understand if any cost pertaining to home dialysis would be covered through the Indian health insurance plans (of course a pre existing one) similar to the dialysis done at the centre?
Thanks
Kamal D Shah said…
Hello Vinutha. Please email me if possible. kamal@kamaldshah.com