KIDNEY patients continue facing challenges such as the high cost of treatment despite many interventions made by non-governmental organisations to reduce the costs of dialysis.
Speaking to NewsDay Weekender on the backdrop of the World
Kidney Day commemorations held on Thursday, consultant physician and
nephrologist Martin Odwee said improvements were being made on kidney treatment
in the country.
Odwee said he envisaged a bright future as better solutions
and kidney regimens were continuously being introduced.
“In the 1980s, dialysis was only limited to acute care.
Since then, several government and private units offer chronic dialysis
programmes. Similarly, kidney transplant did not exist. Today, many patients
have undergone kidney transplants. Better medications now exist to reverse or
reduce kidney disease. Costs for the entire above still remain a stumbling
block,” he said.
Odwee said there was need for more education on kidney
diseases.
“World Kidney Day was set up to improve awareness of kidney
disease but this awareness should be done every day.”
Zimbabwe has about 2 000 patients with chronic kidney
diseases.
The only treatment for kidney ailment is dialysis. Most
public hospitals charge about US$80 per each dialysis session, while private
hospitals charge as much as US$240 per session.
A kidney patient requires three sessions per week. Newsday
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