It is shocking to learn that about two crore people are suffering from various kidney diseases in Bangladesh and among them only 10 percent can afford treatment. Due to lack of appropriate knowledge, kidney diseases are turning out to be endemic rapidly across Bangladesh where 54-60 kidney patients die because of kidney diseases every day. The disease remains silent for a long time and when the symptoms appear, 70-80 percent of the kidneys got damaged. If the kidney patients get the right kind of treatment such as transplantation, haemodialysis and proper medicine in case of early detection of the diseases, the number of deaths will certainly decrease.
Authorities concerned should build more treatment
centres for the underprivileged and also
lower the medicine cost so that they too can get help from
dialysis and lead a better life
The patients who can afford dialysis at home with their own cost are also living a normal life, but the reality is that most of the kidney patients, as they are poor, cannot even think of such privilege. As the treatment of kidney failure is very expensive, the ministries concerned should take initiatives to bring the poor patients under government subsidy health programmes and also under the coverage of health insurance.
Nephrologists are of the opinion that kidney dialysis is a time consuming and careful process and needs utmost attention. According to them, 1 out of every 7 kidney patients in the country needs dialysis but treatment facilities are not sufficient in number and poor families find it difficult to bear the cost. Kidney specialists in Bangladesh are very inadequate -- there are only 100 kidney specialists here for 16 crore people. Therefore, authorities concerned should build more treatment centres for the underprivileged and also lower the medicine cost so that they too can get help from dialysis and lead a better life.
