Speaking during the commemoration of the World Kidney Day under the theme “Kidney disease and obesity: healthy lifestyle for healthy kidneys’’, Dr Chitalu said that a healthy lifestyle was an important component of kidney disease prevention because treatment maybe expensive and a loss to the nation as well as the family of the patient.
“Chronic Kidney disease is preventable if one adheres to healthy rules, that is having a balanced diet, exercising, stop smoking because when one is diagnosed with kidney failure, it makes the person less productive and it robs the nation of human capital to develop,” he said.
And Kidney Foundation of Zambia managing director Gabriel Phiri said that kidney patients were in great dilemma as it costs huge sums of money to sustain a patient’s life.
‘‘The predicament is worsened by the fact that insurance companies do not take on high risk diseases such as kidney failure,’’ he said.
Mr Phiri said that the foundation was thankful to Government which was subsidizing the cost of dialysis and consumables.
“Currently, about 130 patients are being managed through public health institutions and the Ministry of Health has made positive strides in the last few years by decentralizing the management of patients with chronic kidney disease,” he said.
Mr Phiri said the opening of dialysis units in three centres countrywide – Kitwe, Livingstone and Ndola was a great achievement unlike in the past where only the University Teaching Hospital renal unit was providing dialysis treatment.
He urged the Government to equip the UTH so that kidney transplants could be conducted locally to save the country millions of Kwacha in foreign treatment.
Government to build Renal and Cardiac Center to save money, not lives?? Why are we so obsessed with material things kanshi?
You are announcing about building something yet you do not tell us the cost which means either you have not planned anything or waiting for some donor to give you money.
P.F. will build “The Cardiac facility” @ great cost by over inflating the invoice, share the cash amongst Cadres, & Cheerleaders spear heading Chagwas 2021 campaign which is alredy in full swing.
Zambians will end up a White Elephant facility, lacking medicenes, but stocked full of expired meds, no electricity or running water, whilst Cadres /Cheerleaders will continue getting sent abroad for medical tourism, & P.F officials will have flats in Dubai, U.K, South Africa, But unable to explain how they amassed all this wealth.
WATCH THIS SPACE!!
Oh I see, the PF minister has just realized that Govt spends too much money on treatment abroad? What do they smoke in PF?
Kindly NOTE that as the government save money it also save more lives, the number of patients to be seen will even increase than those sent abroad. Don’t be negative in everything you will gain nothing
Please bring more beer renal will open to save my kidney
Please bring more beer renal will open to save my kidney.
A Ugandan patient who complained of severe chest pains was found with ‘ulupenfu’ (cockroach) in the X-ray Dept at Kampala’s general Hospital. After further medical check ups in lndia, he was found with TB and Doctors there told the patient that; the cockroach was NOT in his chest but in the X-ray machine. That’s Africa for you…
Last time I said something negative about Africa/Zambia. I was accused of being ‘condescending my own race’
Good move Dr, saving money (dollars ) in this manner is one way of reducing the inflation that is killing the poor Zambians. No dollars will be drawn from BOZ. The next thing GRZ should do is to invest in livestock farming so that we start exporting beef hence bringing in more dollars in the national treasury. We are more than ready to start rearing goats, sheep, cattle et cetera.