Patil for unified financial aid for costly treatment

Pune: District guardian minister Chandrakant Patil batted for creating a comprehensive financial assistance platform — integrating the spirit of corporate social responsibility (CSR), crowdfunding, and that of NGOs — to help out the needy patients seeking high-end medical care that is expensive.He spoke about this after inaugurating Urokul, a 105-bed dedicated urology hospital on the Pune-Mumbai highway in Baner on Sunday. Urokul is the only third specialized hospital dedicated to urology in the country, with the other two in Nadiad (Gujarat) and Hyderabad (Telangana). “This service will be in addition to the health assistance/schemes that the government offers. Such an integrated platform can benefit many needy patients. Doctors and people like us should come together and think about such an initiative,” Patil said.Renowned urologist Dr. Sanjay Kulkarni — inventor of the ‘Kulkarni technique of urothroplasty’ which is practised worldwide — is the founder of the new urology speciality unit in the city. Dr Jyotsna Kulkarni, co-founder and an eminent expert in laparoscopic uro-surgeries said, “We will be offering all kinds of minimally invasive uro-surgeries under one roof. The aim is to see that patients bounce back within a short span.”The hospital has a 10-bed dialysis unit and a 10-bed intensive care unit (ICU) and five state-of-the-art operation theatres equipped with the ultra-modern and latest equipment. It also has comprehensive pathology and radiology diagnostic setup.