Over 20m kidney patients, only 10 pc get treatment

Speakers at a roundtable programme on Monday urged for launching massive public awareness programmes in a bid to prevent kidney diseases.

Speaking at the National Press Club the speakers said that about two crore people are suffering from various kidney disease. Sadly, the speakers said that only 10 percent of the patients can afford to avail such a costly treatment and hence they stressed on preventive measures.

The speakers, at the roundtable titled, 'Kidney Health for All: Obstacle and Prevention' organized by the Kidney Awareness Monitoring and Prevent Society (KAMPS), emphasized on social awareness and advocacy programmes to educate people on how to avoid kidney diseases.

KAMPS, a voluntary healthcare giving organization, organised the roundtable to mark World Kidney Day 2020 to be observed on March 12, 2020.

“Currently, kidney disease is known to be pandemic in the world. It is a silent killer disease. Kidney disorder treatment is extremely expensive. Therefore, awareness should be given priority to prevent kidney diseases and to ensure life with healthy kidney,” speakers said.

Chairman of KAMPS and chief consultant of Kidney Department of Anwar Khan Modern Hospital Prof Dr MA Samad presented the keynote paper on the occasion while the National Press Club President Saiful Alam was in the chair.

In his keynote speech, Prof Dr MA Samad said globally 850 million people are affected by kidney disease.

Due to lack of appropriate knowledge, kidney diseases are turning out to be endemic rapidly across Bangladesh.

The treatment is so expensive that even 10 percent of the affected patients cannot afford it, and as a result most of them lose their lives without treatment. At least 50 to 60 percent of kidney failures can be prevented through awareness, and regular screening is necessary, said Dr Samad.

“As the treatment of kidney failure is very expensive, the ministries concerned should take initiatives to bring the poor patients under government subsidy health programmesand also under the coverage of health insurance,” Dr Samad added.

Speakers suggested regular physical exercise, keeping weight under control, giving up smoking and intake of raw salt etc. Terming high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes the main reasons for kidney disease they urged the government to provide medicines for the diseases free of cost to disadvantaged patients.

-rmc//