Hope for Renal Failure Patients

Hope for Renal Failure Patients

In Nigeria, Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) represents about 8–10% of hospital admissions, though this statistic may hugely under-represent the true situation. Reason for this is not farfetched, CKD is generally under diagnosed, with end-stage renal failure (ESRD) patients as the popular minority, while a large majority needlessly transit to the same burdensome stage over time. More so in developing countries where patients often report late or not at all to health facilities for reasons ranging from prohibitive cost of health care services, to use of alternative treatment like spiritual healing and traditional/native healers. Medical experts are of the opinion that more people die every day from kidney related diseases than malaria and HIV/AIDS in Nigeria.

This underscores the main function of the kidney which is to remove waste products and excess water from the blood. An all important organ, the bean shaped kidney pair allows consumption of a variety of foods, drugs, vitamins, supplements, additives, and excess fluids without worry that toxic by-products will build up to harmful levels in the body. It also plays a major role in regulating levels of various minerals such as calcium, sodium, and potassium in the blood.

Healthy kidneys clean the blood by filtering out extra water and wastes, make hormones that keep the bones strong and blood healthy. When both kidneys fail, the body holds fluid and blood pressure rises. Harmful wastes build up in the body, not enough red blood cells are produced leading to fatigue, nausea, and loss of appetite.

Chronic kidney disease is indeed a problem of enormous magnitude, and it is quite ironic that incidence of this traumatizing ailment is on the increase. Presently, CKD has become a worldwide public health problem. Nothing confirms this more than the 2002 World Health Report and the Global Burden of Disease Project reports, which shows that diseases of the kidney and urinary tract are responsible for approximately 850,000 deaths every year and over fifteen million disability-adjusted lives. Globally, these ailments represent the 12th cause of death and 17th cause of disability.

Reiterating this in Lagos, at the international symposium on chronic kidney disease and renal transplantation organized by St. Nicholas Hospital, its Consultant Nephrologist, Dr. Ebun Bamgboye said more than five percent of the adult population have some form of kidney damage, and every year millions die prematurely of Cardiovascular diseases linked to chronic kidney diseases (CKD). According to Bamgboye, CKD needs proper attention to enable government and non-governmental organisations nip it in the bud because of the minimal availability of dialysis and kidney transplant facilities in Nigeria.

Truly so, dialysis and transplant programmes are expensive, making it easily accessible only to the upper class, with the exception of few public health institutions with donor funding that provides affordable services to the long queue chronic kidney disease sufferers, who are constrained from seeking regular dialysis or kidney transplant, by funds.

It was with this knowledge that MTN Foundation (MTNF), decided to intervene by donating twelve haemodialysis centres to university teaching hospitals  and general hospitals across the country, to stem the loss of lives of people especially among the less privileged in the society. Established in 2004, MTNF is the social investment vehicle of MTN Nigeria Communications Limited, which executes its Corporate Social Responsibility programmes spanning empowerment, education and healthcare initiatives.  

Under the health portfolio, the Foundation has evidently embarked upon initiatives aimed at help addressing prevalent terminal diseases and medical conditions in Nigeria such as, breast cancer, renal disease, sickle cell anaemia and HIV/AIDS. To tackle sickle cell anaemia, the Foundation partnered with the Sickle Cell Foundation of Nigeria to establish 5 Sickle Cell Clinics and built a sickle cell DNA Laboratory at the Sickle Cell Centre in Lagos, first of its kind in Africa. For HIV/AIDS, the Foundation has commissioned 3 Voluntary Counselling and Testing centres. Now, to ameliorate the sufferings of people with renal failures, it has established 11 haemodialysis centres which provide everyday people with access to dialysis therapy.

 This is truly a welcome initiative from MTNF because it has created avenues through which citizens of a developing country like Nigeria can access therapeutic dialysis against the scourge of renal failure. Recently, University Teaching Hospital Ekiti, Ado-Ekiti got its haemodialysis centre commissioned. The facility, which consists of two Fresenius haemodialysis machines, two electronically powered dialysis chair, water treatment unit and pre-treatment unit, borehole water facility, two back-up power (3KVA UPS), 2.2 KVA UPS for water treatment unit, 1.5KVA UPS for water pre-treatment unit, 27KVA power generator and four air conditioners was inaugurated so that sufferers within the state and its surroundings can get cheaper treatment than that offered in private hospitals. Before the installment of the dialysis centre, the nearest dialysis centre available to the people of Ekiti state was in Ile-Ife which is 180km away for medical treatment.

 The provision of these dialysis centres will not only put an end to the frequent long distance travel, it will also save time, cost and reduction of lives lost while plying the roads regularly in search of medical attention. Sufferers within and around  General Hospital, Alimosho, Lagos State; Federal Medical Centre, Owerri, Imo State; Benue State University Teaching Hospital, Benue State; Federal Medical Centre, Yola, Adamawa State; Braithwaite Memorial Specialist Hospital, Port Harcourt, Rivers State; General Hospital, Calabar, Cross River State; General Hospital, Yauri, Kebbi State; Specialist Hospital, Sokoto  will easily receive treatment. This will certainly ameliorate the sufferings of diseased people in these localities. Other organisations should take a cue from this and look up ways in which they can come up with impactful and sustainable CSR initiatives that communities can benefit from one way or the other.  

Experts are of the view that early detection can help in the management of these afflictions and reduce mortality. When a person is diagnosed with the disease, the treatment can be through transplant of a healthy kidney (one) from a compatible donor through surgery or use of drugs called ‘immunosuppressant’s’ to subdue the recipients’ immunity from fighting the ‘foreign body’. This is not done in Nigeria presently and it is very expensive, costing about two million Naira apart from travel expenses. The other alternative is to undergo dialysis through the haemodialysis equipment at least three times a week. Here, the person’s blood is drawn into a machine, filtered and returned back. It takes time, as the person has to sit for three to four hours.

Kudos to MTN Foundation for this new initiative, very few organisations can be said to have done half as much as MTN Foundation has done in terms of healthcare interventions which give hope to everyday Nigerians. In view of the fact that private hospitals are quite expensive, government should endeavour to equip the state hospitals and staff them with experienced nurses and doctors that can meet the complicated health needs of people suffering from diseases such as acute renal failure. Not all Nigerians have the financial muscle to go abroad for treatment, hence the need to upgrade health infrastructure in the country.