Dibrugarh, June 22: Hundreds of dialysis patients, their family members and local residents staged a road blockade outside Assam Medical College and Hospital (AMCH) on Monday, protesting the Assam government’s decision to discontinue cashless dialysis services at private empanelled hospitals from July 1.

The protest erupted following a government notification removing chronic haemodialysis, acute haemodialysis, permanent tunnelled catheter placement and peritoneal dialysis from the coverage of the Ayushman Bharat-Pradhan Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AB-PMJAY) and the Ayushman Asom-Mukhya Mantri Jan Arogya Yojana (AA-MMJAY) in private healthcare facilities.

Demonstrators warned that the move would place an enormous burden on government hospitals, particularly AMCH, which serves as the principal tertiary care centre for Upper Assam. Protesters claimed the hospital currently operates only 12 dialysis machines and lacks the capacity to accommodate the large number of patients who currently depend on private centres for regular treatment.

Raising slogans and blocking traffic along the AMCH road, patients and their relatives urged the government to reverse the decision, arguing that uninterrupted dialysis is a matter of survival for thousands of people suffering from chronic kidney disease.

“Many poor chronic kidney disease patients will die because of this decision,” said one patient participating in the protest.

Another demonstrator, whose daughter requires dialysis three times a week, appealed directly to Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma to reconsider the policy.

“My daughter cannot survive without dialysis. I request the Chief Minister to reconsider and not take away the only support keeping our children alive,” he said.

The decision has sparked widespread concern among dialysis patients across Assam, with protesters warning that government facilities may struggle to absorb the additional patient load once the new policy comes into effect next month.