<div><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>A case has been filed against some kidney patients and their relatives who have been protesting the recent hike in dialysis fee at Chattogram Medical College and Hospital.</b></span><br></div><div><br></div><div>Mostafizur Rahman, sub-inspector (SI) of Panchlaish police station, registered the case against Md Mostakim, a patient and 50 to 60 unidentified others around 12:30 am Wednesday.</div><div><br></div><div>Inspector Sadekur Rahman of Panchlaish police station said the case was filed against the patients on charges of assaulting police and obstructing their work.</div><div><br></div><div>Five policemen were injured while trying to remove the protesters from road, he said.</div><div><br></div><div>On Tuesday, police detained Mostakim from the CMCH during the patients’ demonstrations blocking road and obstructing vehicular movement, said Md Nazim Uddin Majumder, officer-in-charge (OC) of Panchlaish Police Station.</div><div><br></div><div>The kidney patients and their relatives have been staging demonstrations in front of the dialysis centre of the hospital for the last four days protesting the hike in dialysis fee.</div><div><br></div><div>The protesters said a patient needs dialysis eight times in a month and they have to pay Tk 2,795 first two times and Tk 510 for each of the rest.</div><div><br></div><div>Now the hospital authorities raised the fee to Tk 2935 and the patients have to pay it four times and Tk 535 for each of the rest dialysis in a month, they said.</div><div><br></div><div>Kidney Dialysis Centre was launched at the hospital under the public-private partnership project in 2017 and it is now operating with 32 dialysis machines.</div><div><br></div><div>According to the agreement with the Ministry of Health, Indian company Sandor will continue its operations at this center for ten years. The institution will use government space for this. A patient has to pay about Tk 3000 against kidney dialysis each time. - UNB</div><div><br></div><div>bnbd24/fas</div>