World Kidney Day today

Desk Report: The ‘World Kidney Day-2019’ is being observed in the country as elsewhere across the globe today (Thursday) aiming to raise awareness of the importance of kidneys.

The theme of the day of this year is ‘Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere.’
Kidney Awareness Monitoring and Prevention Society (KAMPS), Bangladesh Renal Association and Kidney Foundation have arranged different programmes to observe the day.

The World Kidney Day is observed on Thursday in the second week of March every year across the globe.

Besides, President Abdul Hamid and Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina issued separate messages marking the day.

According to sources, the number of kidney patients has increased alarmingly as two crore people in the country are now somehow suffering from kidney disease.

The treatment of kidney disease is so expensive and even 10 per cent of people cannot afford this treatment, as a result most of them lose their lives without treatment. Now globally 850 million people are affected by kidney disease, as per the WHO line up Bangladesh ranks 11th position in terms of kidney disease. Founder and President of KAMPS, also Chief Consultant and Head of Department of Nephrology, BRB Hospitals Limited, Prof. Dr. M A Samad urged the authorities concerned to frame a national guideline for raising awareness and running prevention works to ensure treatment facilities for the kidney patients irrespective of poor and rich segment of the society.

Prof. Dr. MA Samad said kidney diseases are spreading rapidly across the country. Whereas, at least 50 to 60 per cent kidney failure can be prevented through a little bit awareness about this disease, for which it needs regular screening that can detect the disease in the early stage.

Lying emphasis on practicing sound lifestyle, Dr. Samad advised to have regular physical exercise, keeping weight under control, avoidance of smoking and raw salt etc. Terming the diseases like high blood pressure, cholesterol and diabetes as the main reason for kidney disease, Dr. Samad urged the government to provide medicines for the diseases free of cost to the poor patients.

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

Prof. Dr. Harun Or Rashid, chairman of Kidney Foundation, said in the developed countries at least 20 to 25 per cent of kidney transplantation is done from among close relatives where as in our country for transplantation total 100 per cent is dependent on close relatives, this needs to be changed immediately.

Suggesting to frame law so that kidneys from accidental death and untimely dead people can be taken to transplant to the failure patients, Prof. Harun said now only 200 to 250 transplants take place every year but it is possible to rise the number upto 1500 to 2000 through taking kidneys from dead people.

He said the government; even Prime Minister herself is so cordial about easing kidney treatment now a days, because already ministry has given an order to set up a 10-bed dialysis unit in every public hospitals, so gradually the situation will change.


risingbd/Dhaka/March 14, 2019/Mukul