About 40,000 kidney patients die every year in Bangladesh, as the trend of posthumous kidney donation here is very low compared to the developed nations, reports UNB.
The alarming figure came from a seminar Tuesday organised by the Kidney Foundation, a non-profit organisation, marking the first anniversary of kidney transplant in its hospital.
The seminar was told that there are now 20 million (two crore) kidney patients in the country as more than 35,000 people are being afflicted with kidney-related diseases every year.
Speaking on the occasion as the chief guest, child specialist and National Professor MR Khan stressed the importance of posthumous kidney donation and urged the affluent section of society to extend their hands to the kidney patients so that they can transplant their kidneys.
He urged the private banks to come forward like Dutch Bangla Bank Limited to save the lives of kidney patients through financial support.
MR Khan also urged the mass media to play their due role in creating mass awareness about posthumous kidney donation.
UNB chairman Amanullah Khan, who has long been campaigning on various health issues facing Bangladesh, in his address described the Kidney Foundation as a centre of medical excellence dedicated to providing quality services to the poor patients at affordable prices. Such humanitarian initiative should be replicated throughout the country in a bid to boost the neglected and ill-equipped health sector.
Quoting latest available statistics Amanullah Khan said: "There are 20 million patients who are suffering from kidney diseases in Bangladesh, which is about 14 per cent of the country's total population. More than 35,000 people are afflicted with kidney diseases every year and about 40,000 are dying due to kidney-related diseases. These alarming statistics call for urgent remedial actions by all concerned."
"Pursuit of healthy life and being free from the scourge of diseases is the key to human welfare and development. And the collective healthy life will remain illusive if the poor lack access to an adequate healthcare system," UNB Chairman told the function.
He put forward a number of suggestions aimed at improving the country's chaotic healthcare system in general and upgrading the standard of treatment provided to the kidney patients in particular.
Important among them are: (a) to attach priority to the health sector that it deserves in order to preserve public health as an important part of overall national strategy by allocation of adequate funds of resources for the purpose in the national budgets.
(b) To launch a social movement to rid the people of the spectre of deadly afflictions, many of which are preventable and controllable or treatable by timely interventions. Media and publicity campaigns involving medical practitioners, health workers, government organizations, development agencies and other stakeholders are crucial to the success of the movement.
(c) To train our religious clerics at the mosques in basic education on primary healthcare which they can pass on to those offering prayers in the mosques.
(d) As prevention is better than cure, to inform the people about how to take care and keep their organs, including kidney, in good order.
(e) To pay appropriate attention to health education in formulating school/college curricula. The prescribed textbooks should contain articles on health in an effort to achieve the true aims of education which are to promote intellectual, moral and physical development of a human being.
(f) To modify the prevailing law relating to the transplantation of human organs, including kidney, adopted in 1999 by incorporating provisions of preventing inhuman trade in human organs by the poor in exchange for money, and
(g) To undertake extensive research to develop inexpensive and more effective mode of treatment of intractable diseases affecting the vital organs like kidney. Emphasis should be laid on the use of herbal and alternative medicines as remedies for such ailments along with traditional medicines as Bangladesh is home to abundant herbal medicinal plants that mostly remain unexplored.
President of the foundation Harun-ur-Rashid said there are sufficient infrastructures in the country for posthumous kidney transplant.
He mentioned that 80-85 per cent kidneys of the patients are transplanted in the developed country through posthumous kidney donation, but Bangladesh is in backward position as regards kidney donation this way.
He urged journalists to come forward to create mass awareness through their works.
Managing Director of the foundation Tiny Ferdousi Rashid, Dutch Bangla Bank Limited Additional Managing Director AHM Nazmul Quadir, Foundation Secretary Md Muhibur Rahman, Urologist MA Salam and Shohidul Islam Selim, among others, spoke on the occasion.
40,000 kidney patients die each year in country
FE Team | Published: September 05, 2007 00:00:00 | Updated: February 01, 2018 00:00:00
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