Forty million kidney patients are undertreated

70 percent of the total deaths in the country are due to non-communicable diseases, such as kidney failure, diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease and cancer. Of these, the most common cause of death is kidney failure. Currently, 38 million people in the country are suffering from kidney problems. Every year, about 40,000 patients are dependent on dialysis and die of kidney failure. Another 24 to 30,000 patients suffer from sudden kidney failure. The treatment of this disease is very expensive. However, experts say that kidney disease can be prevented by controlling non-communicable diseases and identifying and treating them at an early stage.

M m m m

Kidney Day is celebrated every year on the second Thursday of March. In this context, World Kidney Day-2025 is being celebrated today, March 13. This year's theme, set by the International Society of Nephrology (ISN), is 'Are Your Kidneys OK? Detect Early, Protect Kidney Health'. The theme focuses on kidney protection.

Specialist physician and president of the Kidney Foundation, Professor Harun-ur-Rashid, told Jugantar that the first of the three main causes of kidney disease is diabetes, the second is high blood pressure, and the third is nephritis symptoms. Although nephritis is decreasing day by day in the country, patients with non-communicable diseases such as diabetes and high blood pressure are increasing.

M m m m

He said, unfortunately, 50 to 60 percent of patients do not know that they have diabetes and 55 to 65 percent of patients do not know that they have high blood pressure. They do not seek medical attention on time. By the time they are tested, 85 to 90 percent of the kidneys have lost their function. Awareness is needed to control non-communicable diseases to prevent kidney failure.

 Kidney Awareness Monitoring and Prevention Society (CAMPS) is a non-governmental voluntary organization dealing with kidney disease in the country. The organization's president, Professor Dr. MA Samad, said that about 850 million people in the world are affected by chronic kidney disease alone. This number is almost double that of diabetic patients and almost 20 times that of cancer patients. Kidney disease was in 19th place as a cause of death in 1990, and is currently in seventh place. If this continues, it will come to fifth place in 2040. The rate of kidney disease is highest in developing or least developed countries.

M m m m

Dr. MA Samad said, if you are aware of the prevalence, severity, consequences and causes of kidney disease, and if you live a healthy lifestyle, it is possible to prevent kidney failure in 60-70 percent of cases. Therefore, those who are at risk of kidney disease should have their urine and blood creatinine tested at least twice a year.

ISN South Asia Regional Chair Professor Dr. Mohammad Rafiqul Alam told Jugantar that many diabetic patients suffer from complacency as long as their blood sugar and hypertension are normal. Even doctors do not tell whether albumin is present in the patient's urine after seeing the report. For this, first of all, the disease should be prevented by launching a screening program and dialysis services should be increased for patients. Legal obstacles to emotional donors' kidney donation should be removed to reduce the price of medicines and increase kidney transplantation.

Bangladesh Renal Association Member Secretary Dr. Farhad Hossain Chowdhury said, the main treatment methods for kidney disease are dialysis and transplant (kidney replacement). Dialysis services in the country are very inadequate. Currently, there are dialysis facilities in 30 government institutions. The government has taken the initiative to introduce 10 beds in 44 district headquarters hospitals and 50 beds in 22 medical colleges. He also said, there is one kidney doctor for every 50,000 people in the United States and 30 for every 1 million people in Japan. On the other hand, there is one for every 600,000 people in the country. There are 95 kidney specialists in government hospitals. 260 specialists are working in private institutions. There are only 7 kidney consultant doctors and two senior consultants in the country. Currently, MD courses in nephrology are being run in 6 government institutes. Besides, 5 out of 12 posts of nephrology professors are vacant. Although there are about 30 technicians for dialysis, there are no specially trained nurses.

M m m m

NCDC Line Director of the Directorate General of Health Services, Professor Dr. Syed Zakir Hossain said that national guidelines have been made for kidney treatment of the affected people. Some more work is underway. Recently, during the discussion session of the Ministry of Health at the District Commissioners' Conference, Health Advisor Nurjahan Begum directed the DCs to control non-communicable diseases by implementing the law.

Day arrangements: Meanwhile, various government and private programs have been taken up on the occasion of World Kidney Day. Today, a discussion meeting will be held at the National Kidney Institute, BSMMU. On the occasion of International Kidney Day and Independence Day, the private Insaf Barakah Kidney and General Hospital has organized a month-long free medical camp. Doctors will provide free medical advice to patients at the camp. Serum creatinine tests related to kidneys will be done free of cost. Health checkups will be done in 5 test packages (ultrasonogram, ECG, CBC, urine RE and serum creatinine) for 1200 taka. Five very poor patients will be given free dialysis without medicines for up to one year.

M m m m