Observing the World Kidney Day TASHI DEKI Bhutan observed the world kidney day last Thursday at Clock Tower Square in the capital and the occasion was graced by the presence of the health minister, Tandin Wangchuk. With the theme “chronic kidney disease and aging’, the objectives of the programme was to review, reform, initiate and support policies, plans, programs and activities for promotion of overall wellbeing of renal patients in Bhutan and prevent other vulnerable Bhutanese from acquiring renal diseases. “The aim of this day is to raise awareness on how important our kidneys are to maintain our overall health and well being. This year through the initiatives of the Bhutan Kidney Foundation (BKF) we join the rest of the world to raise awareness and educate ourselves on chronic kidney diseases which is a growing public health issue affecting people from all age groups,” said the health minister. He mentioned that the national statistics reflects that chronic kidney diseases are growing at alarming rate and it has become a serious concern. “The number of patients diagnosed with the renal problems is rising every year. The disease not only affects the quality of lives of patients and their families but also impacts the government’s scare resources,” he said. The health minister further mentioned that since 2006, a total of 83 patients have undergone kidney transplantation at the expenses of the government. “Our record tells us that over Nu 59 million of the public money had to be expensed on them,” he said. He also stated that despite their resolute efforts, the ministry of health continues to face challenges in number of areas such as the rising number of patients requiring dialysis, limited number of dialysis machines and shortage of trained professionals. According to the executive director of BKF, Tashi Namgay, due to the constant increase in the number of people suffering from kidney failure, and in the absence of adequate infrastructure in the country, many had to be referred to hospitals in India. “For every transplant, at least Nu 700,000 has to be paid. The total cost for each patient rises upto Nu 3 million and most of the budget comes from the government,” said Tashi Namgay. He mentioned that there are 137 patients in the country who are under dialysis. He further mentioned that while some have managed to get kidney donors, many are still on search for volunteer kidney donors. Meanwhile, BKF was established under the patronage of Her Majesty the Queen Jetsun Pema Wangchuk with the principal purpose to function as the support group for the wellbeing of renal patients in Bhutan. It is to enhance awareness amongst the general public on renal diseases. BKF is a registered public benefits organization as per requirement of the civil society organization act of the kingdom of Bhutan and a board of trustees governs it.
Posted on: Tue, 18 Mar 2014 04:25:00 +0000
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