The New Nation - Internet Edition

BSS, Dhaka

The number of kidney patients in the country is increasing at an alarming rate as about two crore people are suffering from the disease.

"About two crore people are now some how suffering from the kidney disease which was about one crore 10 years back. The rate of the chronic kidney disease has now reached at 18 per cent by raising 50 per cent during the period," Professor Dr Harun-Ur-Rashid, Chairman of Department of Nephrology of Bangabandhu Sheikh Mujib Medical University (BSMMU), told BSS on Monday.

"If the present rate of the disease continues, it will reach at 28-30 per cent in the next 10 years," he said.

Prof Harun said one in every six persons has been suffering from this disease and 40,000 people die of longtime kidney failure annually. He said 95 per cent kidney patients of the country are unable to bear the cost of treatment. As a result, they slowly move towards death.

Taka two lakh is needed for a patient a year if he or she does dialysis two times a week which is very expensive for general people, Prof Harun said, adding only 2-3 thousand out of 40,000 kidney failure patients can afford the treatment cost.

According to the statistics, 64 per cent kidney patients undertake treatment by selling their property, 20 per cent take loan, 15 per cent get government and non-government assistance and only five per cent can afford the treatment cost.

Prof Harun said the treatment of end stage renal disease is either dialysis or tranplantation and both forms of treatment are very expensive and out of reach for majority of people.

As a result, he said, 70 per cent of kidney failure patients, who started dialysis, stop treatment in three months because they do not have money.

Prof Harun said lack of nephrologists in the country also hinders the treatment of kidney patients. "There is one nephrologists for 25 lakh people but the ratio should be one for 2/3 lakh people," he said.

Prof Harun, who is the President of Kidney Foundation, a pioneer in kidney disease treatment in the country, said lack of awareness among the people is also responsible for increasing number of kidney patients in the country. Quoting a survey of the foundation, he said, 60 per cent people of the BSMMU (PG Hospital) area are not aware of diabetes and high blood pressure, which are the main reasons for kidney disease.

Prof Harun said the number of diabetic and high blood pressure (HBP) patients is also raising alarmingly in the country. At present 4.5 per cent and 18 percent people have been suffering from diabetes and HBP respectively, which was 2.5 per cent and 10 percent 10 years ago, he said. He said if the awareness campaign on diabetes and HBP is strengthened, the number of kidney patients would be reduced to a great extent.

Prof Harun said about 500 kidney transplantation are done in the country. Of which, the Kidney Foundation does the highest number of kidney transplantation followed by BSMMU and BIRDEM, he added.

In the wake of raising kidney patients in the country, he said, the Kidney Foundation is constructing a world class kidney hospital with modern facilities at Mirpur in the city.

In the first phase, a four-storey building will be constructed on two-bigha land and a 40-bed dialysis unit be set up there. Kidney transplantation of at least four patients will be done in each week, he said.

Besides, Prof Harun said, cadaveric transplantation system, the first of its kind in Bangladesh, and laparoscopic donor nephrectomy system would be introduced at the hospital to be named 'Kidney Hospital Foundation and Research Institute'. It will also have a modern laboratory, an intensive care unit (ICU) and tissue typing system.

In the second phase, the hospital will be turned into a seven-storey building where 200-bed dialysis service will be started, he said.

Prof Harun said the Kidney Foundation has now been providing treatment for poor and middle class people at an affordable cost.

He said kidney transplantation cost in the foundation is Taka two lakh, which is many times higher in other countries. A total of 86 kidney transplantation were done at their hospital in last one and a half years.

Prof Harun said the foundation takes Taka 600 for a dialysis which is Taka 2500-3500 in other hospitals in the country.