The New Nation - Internet Edition

Staff Reporter

Nearly 20 million kidney patients living in Bangladesh and lacking treatment, experts said yesterday. They said the kidney patients' dies without treatment due to absence of a high quality hospital.

The experts said this at a press conference on the occasion of inauguration of 'Kidney Foundation Lottery 2008'at Dhaka Club.

National Professor Dr M R Khan informed newsmen that a 200 bed international standard hospital will be set up in Mirpur which will contain a 40 beds dialysis unit.

The hospital will cost Tk 17 crore. He also said the rate of chronic patients increased by 50 per cent during the last 10 years and reached to 18 out of hundred. It will reach to 28-30 within next 10 years if the rate continues. He said only 5 per cent of the kidney patients have ability to get treatment for their own and 80 per cent dies without treatment.

Setting up of such modern hospital will help the poor patients to get treatment, he said. Kidney disease specialist Prof Harun Ar Rashid said kidney patients are the most neglected in the country. To give treatment the poor patients the Kidney Foundation is setting up the hospital.

Journalist Ataus Samad and Showkat Mahmud, Educationist Prof Nurul Islam, Dhaka Club president Sadat Hosen Selim, CEO of Sonali Bank S A Chowdhury also spoke on the occasion.