A smile for Kidney Transplant Kids this festive season
from KNH and EAGM
By Paul Ngurari
It will be a compassionate holiday season
for some lucky kids with kidney disease this Christmas following a rare gift
initiative dubbed ‘Illuminating Hearts’ by the east African Glassware Mart
(EAGM) in partnership with the Kenyatta National Hospital.
In conjunction with Arch International,
manufacturers of one of the leading tableware brands, Luminarch, EAGM will
donate Ksh85 from the purchase of selected Luminarch tumbler sets to KNH in
support of kidney transplant for kids. In addition, EAGM will donate Ksh500,000
to finance one kidney transplant this season. The corporate social
responsibility campaign runs from November 1, 2013 to January 6, 2014 through
Nakumatt outlets. Each set costs Ksh635.
“Kidney disease in children is increasing.
The disease has been associated with genetic as well as lifestyle factors.
Kidney transplant is the preferred mode of treating chronic kidney disease.
Regrettably, this life saving treatment remains out of reach of many Kenyans
due to the high costs involved," said Dr Munene Irimu, KHN’s head of special
programmes.
Dr Irimu noted that 78 per cent of the
hospital’s patients come from low socio economic backgrounds and are not able
to pay for their medical bills. This, he said, necessitates the need for
government and other donors like EAGM to supplement the costs.
Kenyatta National Hospital provides
subsidised kidney transplants for Ksh500,000. According to Dr Anthony Were, head of Renal
Unit at KNH, Ksh300,000 is the cost of the operation while Ksh200,000 is the
cost of medical investigations necessary for such an operation. This is the
cheapest rate in the country. Private hospitals charge over Ksh1.4 million for
the same service. It costs Ksh1.6 million in India.
Kidney disease has been on the increase in
the country of late. Dr Were says that KNH has been receiving five new cases
every week. Unlike years gone by when the hospital only handled one kidney
transplant per year, today it does one transplant per week.
“Dialysis and kidney transplant is a must
for people with chronic kidney disease. They have no other way of survival as
mortality for the disease is definite,” added Dr Irimu.
People with acute kidney failure may
recover after dialysis. It is recommended that most hospitals especially those
dealing with accidents and maternity services have dialysis machines to prevent
deaths resulting from acute kidney failure that may occur as a result of
excessive bleeding. Dr Were says that other diseases may also lead to acute
kidney failure.
“Mortality rate for acute kidney failure is
50 per cent in the general wards. It is much higher, 70 per cent, in the
Intensive care wards,” adds Dr Were.
Dialysis at KNH costs Ksh5,000 per session
and is done three times a week. It costs ksh9,000 shillings in private hospitals.
Each session runs for four hours nonstop.
EAGM Head of consumer, Mr Zulfikar Mohamed noted
that children with kidney disease are particularly disadvantaged because it is
not advisable to place them on dialysis.
“Kidney transplant operations are usually
the best option for these children,” noted Mr Mohamed adding that huge medical
costs hinder the sustainable management and treatment of kidney disease.
The Illuminating Hearts campaign, noted Mr
Mohamed, is geared towards promoting the lives of children with kidney disease.
