| By Sharmain GraingerWhile it is particularly hard to lose a family member suddenly, it could be just as difficult to watch that next of kin or even a close friend suffer until the end. Some people are plagued with conditions that can claim their lives. What could be even more heart-rending is if there is a solution to that dying person’s condition, but it is inaccessible because of a lack of finance. But this is in fact the life of many people living right here in Guyana. Sometimes the condition is a chronic Non-Communicable Disease (NCD).According to the World Health Organization (WHO),Jordan Shoes For Sale, although NCDs, also known as chronic diseases, are not contagious, that is they do not pass from person to person, they are of long duration and generally slow progression. They have the potential of leading to death.The four main types of NCDs are cardiovascular diseases (like heart attacks and stroke), cancers, chronic respiratory diseases (such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma) and diabetes.But one of the outcomes of NCDs that is said to be the mostly costly to the local health sector is kidney failure. Diabetes and high blood pressure are among the known conditions that trigger kidney failure. Kidney failure is essentially the end stage of chronic kidney disease.Symptoms of kidney failure include: reduced ability to urine, tiredness,Nike Tns Wholesale, swelling of feet, shortness of breath, poor appetite, puffy face and eyes, among others.There are reportedly many people suffering from chronic kidney failure who are unable to access needful treatment.According to information out of the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation (GPHC), Guyana’s premier health institution, this condition is in fact the most costly disease that the public health sector is tasked with treating.A section of the GPHC’s Dialysis CentreWhile a kidney transplant could help to prolong the life of a victim of kidney failure, complete with a good quality of life, the other option for most patients is dialysis. Dialysis is a process whereby the blood of a person suffering from kidney failure is clinically purified.The inability of the kidney to work causes toxins such as urea,Cheap Mens Jordan Sneakers, potassium and creatinine to build up in the blood.Although GPHC is able to offer transplants to kidney failure patients at no cost, patients are, however, expected to fund cross matching tests. The cross matching tests are done to ensure that the potential kidney donor is compatible with the patient in need of a new kidney. The GPHC is currently unable to do those tests and therefore relies on a facility in the United States to conduct these tests. The cost is G$1million. But many patients can ill-afford to meet this cost on their own.Now think about how much more costly it would be for such patients to afford dialysis for the rest of their lives instead.You see, just last week, Kidney Transplant Surgeon attached to the GPHC,Air Max 98 Gundam Price, Dr. Kishore Persaud, revealed that the hospital has limited capacity to offer dialysis to patients.Patients upon being diagnosed are given a period of free treatment, then they are asked to seek this treatment at a private facility.While patients are afforded a one-off cheque of $360,000 to cover the cost of their dialysis elsewhere in order to make space for new patients, they are usually left hanging in the balance after the sponsored-treatment has ended.According to Dr. Persaud, “some of them choose to not do dialysis because they know they can’t afford it after the cheque runs out and so they just wait to die.” An increasing number of persons have been dying as a result,2018 Nike Air Max 97, Dr. Persaud has confided. Currently the hospital is tasked with catering to about 120 patients.But the cost of dialysis has essentially been a burden on the health sector, Dr. Persaud intimated.According to him, the cost for dialysis has been steadily rising. The cheapest dialysis treatment offered to patients currently is pegged at $12,000 per session. Patients are expected to undergo at least three sessions per week if they are to maintain a reasonable quality of life.Now imagine the plight of a kidney failure patient who is the breadwinner of his or her home, but is too sick to work. The family must eat! The reality in our world is that some people don’t even see $12,000 during a single week much less the $36,000 required for three sessions or the $180,000 or so required to cover sessions in some months.Some patients have no choice but to constantly check themselves into the GPHC for emergency medical care if they are to overcome the resulting complications of not receiving dialysis.According to Dr. Persaud, the hospital currently has about 10 “resident” patients. Patients accessing service at the GPHC cannot be turned away. But, Dr. Persaud says, it puts a further strain on the service,Cheap Nike Air Max 90 Mens Trainers, since the capacity is so limited. The hospital, as at the end of last week, had in place five functioning dialysis machines and two additional machines on standby for emergency purposes. But Dr. Persaud revealed that the hospital needs as much as 40 units in order to meet the increasing demand for this service.Officials of the hospital are worried that dialysis could consume too much of the hospital’s financial allocation. They have therefore started to appeal for support from the private sector.Dr. Persaud says that while chronic kidney failure is not reversible, what persons must bear in mind is that it could be prevented altogether in some cases.As such, he noted that moves are already apace to educate the public about ways to safeguard their health.Safeguarding yourself from kidney failure could be as simple as: drinking eight to 10 glasses of good quality water every day, avoid overdosing on drugs, taking appropriate treatment of kidney stones, avoiding a sedentary lifestyle, avoiding too many alcoholic drinks, and of course, by controlling high blood pressure and diabetes. |
