Protect your kidneys: Kid with these diseases and you may be on your knees later

KARACHI:

Chronic kidney diseases are on the rise in Pakistan because of a lack of awareness. For every one million people in Pakistan, there are a 100 who are afflicted by some form of kidney ailment each year.

In order to spread awareness and help people detect kidney diseases and treat them before they become chronic, the Clifton Kidney and Dialysis Centre as well as the Welfare Society for Patients Care organised a seminar on Thursday.

Prof. Iffat Yazdani, the head of Park Lane Hospital’s nephrology department, said, “[Kidney diseases] are definitely on the rise because of many reasons, the foremost of which is a lack of awareness.” She added that most people suffering from kidney diseases don’t discover they have problems until their illnesses become chronic.

Dr Yazdani said all hospitals should organise free camps or provide free dialysis throughout the year as a majority of people can’t afford expensive treatment.

On average, dialysis sessions could set you back by around Rs500,000 each year. Travelling for treatment, as it is not easily available everywhere, also adds to the cost. The average cost of one dialysis session in private hospitals starts from Rs3,000 and can go up to Rs8,000. Patients may require two to three sessions each week

A patient, Sattar, said after diagnosis, he had to shut down his flower stall at Disco Bakery as he could not manage juggling his business and simultaneously seeking treatment and footing bills. “There are so many hidden costs. I wish I could have come to the doctors before my kidneys were damaged.”

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2013.