2.5% countrymen suffer from kidney diseases

Some two and a half per cent of the country’s population is suffering from various types of kidney diseases while such a figure was one per cent of the total population in1990's.

Against such a backdrop, 12-22 per cent of the total kidney patients need to sell their own properties just to survive through dialysis after their kidney failures as less than one percent of such patients in Bangladesh have access to kidney transplant.

Eminent kidney experts came up with the disclosure at the Second International Conference on Nephrology at Gonoshasthaya Kendra in the capital on Friday.

As chief guest, Kidney Hospital and Kidney Foundation founder chairman and chief of consultant Prof. Dr KS Harun Ur Rashid addressed the conference, which was jointly organised by Public Health Center Bangladesh, Bangladesh Renal Association and ISN.

The conference was addressed, among others, by eminent child nephrologist professor Dr. Mohammad Hanif, Bangladesh Renal Association and Association Physician of Bangladesh president Mohammad Rafiqul Alam and chairman of the Organizing Committee Prof. Brigadier General (Retd) Mamun Mostafi.

Addressing the conference kidney experts said, “If the kidney disease can be diagnosed at an early stage, the disease can also be cured after proper treatments.”

But, Bangladesh does not have the required number of nephrologists though there are very few in numbers but mostly based in Dhaka. As a result, patients outside the capital do not get required treatment in the initial stage, they added.

Speakers also noted that preventive medicine should be started from the initial level in order to prevent kidney disease. It is also estimated that there are around 1.5 million nephrology patients across Bangladesh but there are not enough doctors to treat them accordingly.