World Kidney Day: Senate calls on FG to create intervention fund for dialysis
By Haruna Salami
The Senate at its plenary on Wednesday called on the Federal Government to increase awareness about the disease and also create an intervention fund to increase the number of functional dialysis centers in tertiary health facilities, ensuring access to dialysis treatments by Nigerians.
The call was sequel to a “motion for increased awareness and improvement of kidney treatment facilities in Nigeria” moved by Senator Abdulaziz Musa Yar’adua (Katsina Central) at plenary on Thursday.
The Senate recognised that on World Kidney Day, March 14, 2024, Nigerians are faced with a critical healthcare challenge in with recent statistics from the Nigerian Association of Nephrology (NAN) revealing that an alarming 25 million Nigerians are living with kidney disease.
“This calls for urgent attention to address the prevalence of this life-threatening condition and improve kidney treatment facilities in our country.
The upper chamber reported that “chronic kidney disease constitutes about 40% of referrals to tertiary hospitals in Nigeria and is a significant contributor to daily hospital admissions”.
According to its findings, the cost of dialysis sessions in Nigeria ranges from N20,000 to N50,000 per session, leading to low adherence rates due to financial constraints while that of the alternative to dialysis, kidney transplantation, is financially unattainable for many, with the cost exceeding N6.5 million.
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Unfortunately, the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) in Nigeria provides limited coverage for chronic kidney disease (CKD) patients, highlighting the need for expanded insurance coverage to support treatment.
Therefore, the Senate also resolved that the members of its committees on health “must lobby for an expansion of the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) to provide comprehensive coverage for chronic kidney disease patients, ensuring that financial constraints do not hinder access to essential treatments.
“The Federal Ministry of Health and other allied ministries should Implement infection prevention training and supervision protocols to safeguard Chronic Kidney Diseases patients, including those with HIV and Hepatitis, who rely on dialysis treatment in Nigerian facilities.
“The Federal Government and other stakeholders should launch extensive public education campaigns to raise awareness about kidney disease prevention, risks, and available treatments.
“The Federal ministry of Education and other stakeholders should include extensive public education campaigns to raise awareness about kidney disease prevention, risks, and available treatments, in their school curricula”.
