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It will also come up with a special law to curb malpractices in paramedical services, like pathology laboratories, and regulate their fees and overall functioning.

Finance minister Sudhir Mungantiwar, while replying to a debate on his budget in the state assembly, had earlier announced a waiver for medicines required for cancer and heart patients.

Mungantiwar, in his budget speech, had promised to list out cancer medicines which will be notified for tax waiver soon. Sources said even machinery and surgical equipment required for dialysis and kidney treatment may get some waivers, taking into consideration the high cost of such treatment in private hospitals.

Officials said advanced machinery for dialysis was available only at private hospitals.

The tax on 'guide wire', required for medical treatment of heart patients, has also been reduced from 12.5% to 5%, which will ultimately reduce the cost of heart treatment and operations from the beginning of the new fiscal.

Replying to a calling attention motion over the alleged bogus operation of pathology labs and exorbitant fees charged by them from poor patients in the state, education minister Vinod Tawde said the Maharashtra Paramedical Council Bill (2011) would have to be redrafted to make rules stringent.

"The earlier draft was not sufficient to tackle issues which path labs must follow in the interest of patients. We will present it in the next assembly session after incorporating changes," he said, ruling out rampant black-marketing of diagnostic services by path labs and proper government control on them.

Earlier, legislators had alleged that there were nearly 5,000 bogus labs operating in the state by employing SSC or HSC pass students. "Strong action will be taken if we find any lab that has employed unqualified people," Tawde promised.

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Kidney dialysis is a life-support treatment, one that Dr. Norman S. Coplon was certainly very familiar with while working as the medical director of Stanford's Renal Care Unit in the late 1960s and early 1970s.

Still, there was something about it that troubled him--the fact that many of his patients had to travel for hours to get to the hospital for their dialysis treatments. So following extensive research and after gaining the support of the medical community, Coplon came up with an idea that he hoped could provide better access to care in a more comfortable setting.

In 1973, Coplon opened the not-for-profit Satellite Dialysis in San Jose with the goal of bringing dialysis to his patients rather than making them arrange their lives around it. He also believed in creating a homey atmosphere for his patients, so he swapped the standard hospital beds for La-Z-Boy chairs that allowed patients to watch TV, read and socialize with other patients while undergoing treatment.

This new method became a huge success, and soon other Satellite Dialysis centers opened up throughout the Bay Area. The organization was renamed Satellite Healthcare, and there are now more than 75 centers throughout the country including several locations in San Jose, Los Gatos, Cupertino, Sunnyvale and Mountain View.

Dr. Norman S. Coplon, 77, died on Jan. 11 in his Ladera home with his family by his side. Now he is remembered by his family and friends as a dedicated husband and father and regarded in the medical community as an innovator in the dialysis industry for his patient-oriented focus.

Faith Tootell, manager of nutrition services at the Cupertino center, says Satellite Healthcare and its founder will always hold a special place in her heart. Tootell is not only an employee but a former patient.

"I'd say he was one of the very rare individuals that we're gifted to know in our life who impacts thousands of people," Tootell said of Coplon. "I can't even count the number of times he saved my life."

Tootell was just 27 when she had to begin regular dialysis treatments, and she said Coplon was involved in her medical care from the start.

"He always cared first and foremost about his patients," Tootell said. "He dedicated his whole life to taking dialysis out of hospitals. Instead of making it this all-encompassing disease, making it who you were, [dialysis] was just something you had to do. You could work, you could have a life. It was a huge deal. There is nobody working in nephrology today who isn't impacted by him, whether they know it or not."

Coplon's passion for reinventing dialysis went beyond just making it more comfortable and convenient. He established the first dialysis center on the grounds of Yosemite National Park so patients could receive treatments during vacations, and he even arranged for trips to Hawaii and Alaska for his staff and dozens of patients and their families.

"We all got to go to Hawaii and dialyze at night," Tootell said of one such trip. "It was amazing. And I think it was something that made him really proud."

Elaine Piini, clinical nurse manager at the Los Gatos Satellite Dialysis center, has been with Coplon's company since 1978. She said what stands out most throughout her many years of working with Coplon is the way he put his patients first.

"He was always very, very generous with his patients and with staff in every way," Piini said. "He was very, very pro patient. Most people are in it for the profit and it's all about the dollar, but he was about taking care of them."

Piini added that although Coplon has passed, his mission remains as the foundation for how Satellite Healthcare operates.

"We have a whole different respect for patients because of him," she said. "It's all about the patients, and that's the way it should be. We make sure they are healthy and get the best care and look at different options to make sure they can keep working. That's the best thing you can do."

Piini said Coplon also leaves behind a business that feels more like home to employees.

"He was very much a family person," she said. "I've known his wife and kids for years. It wasn't just him; it was his whole family that was involved. And that's the beauty of this corporation. It's a corporation but it's a family. We all take care of each other and a lot of us have been doing this for a long time. He instilled that sense of family here."

Coplon is survived by his wife of 53 years, Sandra Coplon; his children, Bonnie Hirsch, Dovid Coplon and Deana Bressel; and 13 grandchildren and one great-grandchild. In honor of Coplon's memory, donations can be made to the Norman S. Coplon Memorial Fund at the National Kidney Foundation.

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Conducted under CM’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme

The special medical camp conducted by the state government under the Chief Minister’s Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS) here on Wednesday focused on detection of cardiac ailments and renal problems among the people and cervical and breast cancer among women above the age of 30 years.

A visit to the camp conducted at the Kavalar Nalvazhvu Manram in Fort Round Road here revealed that many people below the poverty line utilized the camp. Vellore Collector R. Nanthagopal who visited the camp told The Hindu that cases of cardiac ailments would be referred to the Government Vellore Medical College Hospital or other empanelled hospitals within Vellore district, or to tertiary hospitals in Chennai for advanced treatment under CMCHIS.

ECG, sugar tested

Dr. K.K. Sridhar, Joint Director of Medical and Rural Health Services-in charge, Vellore district said that ECG test was done for all those above 40 years to detect cardiac ailments. Blood pressure, random blood sugar, and height and weight tests were conducted for those above 30 years.

The camp gave special focus on women, with all those above 30 years being subjected to VIA (visual inspection with acetic acid)/ VILI visual inspection with Lugol’s iodine) test using a magnavision equipment for the detection of cervical cancer.

“If anyone tests positive, we will refer her to the GVMCH, Vellore, Government Pentland Hospital, Vellore, or the taluk headquarters hospitals in Vellore district for colposcopy which will help us to decide the correct treatment”. The 30 + women were also subjected to clinical breast examination to detect breast cancer at an early stage. Positive cases would be referred to the GVMCH, he said.

Ultrasound scan

Another feature of the camp was the ultrasound scan which was performed for pregnant women.

The camp also included ophthalmological, ENT, orthopaedic and paediatric examinations.

Dr. Sridhar said that the objective of the camp was to find out cases of major illnesses so that apt investigation and treatment could be arranged for them in the empanelled hospitals, he said.

Card-holders under CMCHIS as well as non-card-holders whose annual income was below Rs.72,000 and their family members were eligible for free treatment through the camp.

The camp was inaugurated by P. Karthiyayini, Mayor of Vellore. A total of 171 persons visited the camp till 11.30 a.m. Similar camps were also held at the Government Hospitals in Sholinghur and Ambur on Wednesday.

It emphasised on detection of cervical / breast cancer among women

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