Renal patients need more support

AHEAD of National Kidney Awareness Week which starts tomorrow (Friday), the uThungulu Kidney Association says more support is needed for renal patients.

The association’s Secretary, Sabelo Mchunu, said renal patients face many challenges, one being the apparent lack of nephrologists (doctors who specialise in kidney care and treatment).

‘Locally there is only one nephrologist available, who is in the private sector. Some patients have to travel to Durban to see one and that isn’t good for patients who are already suffering.’

He said while government’s interventions to address challenges facing cancer patients must be commended, ‘we wish our challenges as kidney patients could also be made a priority’.

Mchunu appealed to provincial health department, municipalities and the private sector to get the association involved in helping them understand and solve some of the challenges facing renal patients.

‘We are looking to spread the message more vigorously, particularly reaching out more to rural areas to provide support for renal patients and providing knowledge to communities,’ he said.

According to the Organ Donor Foundation of South Africa, renal failure is increasing dramatically as a result of lifestyle related diseases.

‘The impact this has on the demand for dialysis is exorbitantly high and owing to a lack of resources in public facilities, too many individuals from vulnerable communities who cannot afford private medical care, but desperately need renal dialysis to survive, cannot be helped.

‘They will never have the opportunity to go onto the life-saving organ transplant programme.’

ALSO READ: Survivor calls for organ donations

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