There is hope for patients who need kidney transplants after the government rolled out the second phase of Interlife kidney transplant programme at the Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH).
KNH, is the only public hospital that offers kidney transplant. Through the joint initiative with Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis and surgeons from Hospital de Barcelona, Spain at least 140 patients have received successful treatment at an affordable cost since 2009.
The Spanish doctors are now training a team of Kenyan counterparts on performing sophisticated, affordable kidney transplants and how to care for the over 10 per cent of the 40 million Kenyans, who suffer some form of kidney disease.
Director of Medical Services (DMS) Nicholas Muraguri said the initiative will reduce the number of Kenyans travelling abroad to seek kidney transplants. “The government is committed to improving local human skills in health to reduce the number of Kenyans who travel abroad each year to seek medical services.
This is because a country’s economic development indicator is reflected in the health status of its people,” he said. Muraguri added that because non-communicable diseases are no longer diseases of the aged as more children and youth are affected, there is an urgent need to drastically reduce the cost of treatment.
“This could not have come at a better time, especially since we are now witnessing skyrocketing rates of kidney failure, caused by diseases such as diabetes and hypertension, making it urgent to offer more sophisticated transplants,” he said.
Poor healthcare infrastructure and little education about kidney conditions, as well as cost, are among the obstacles many people in developing countries face in gaining access to advanced drugs. In Kenya more than 7,800 Kenyans die of kidney failure annually for lack of access to kidney treatment, which is more than twice the number of road accident fatalities.
Despite the high number of deaths from kidney failure, the cost of treatment is prohibitive. It costs Sh500, 000 for children to undergo the procedure locally with dialysis being the cheaper option, however, doctors say a kidney transplant is cheaper in the long term.
The post Ray of hope for kidney patients in country appeared first on Mediamax Network Limited.