Give Hope to Kidney Foundation don organize free medical screening for over 100 residents for Ikeja area for Lagos State. Dem also share drugs wey worth pass N100,000 each to seven kidney transplant survivors to mark World Kidney Day. This awareness and screening program happen for New Haven Specialist Hospital and Dialysis Centre for Ikeja, and dem collaborate with several dialysis centres across Lagos State.
The free screening tests include blood pressure checks, blood sugar testing, and urinalysis. These tests dey important to detect kidney disease early. The foundation also present cheques to four patients wey need dialysis, with each cheque cover cost of one dialysis session.
For interview with PUNCH Healthwise, the Coordinator of Give Hope to Kidney Foundation, Pharm. Cynthia Ajah, talk say dem set up the foundation to support poor kidney patients with their dialysis sessions and kidney transplant survivors wey no fit afford cost of post-treatment care. She explain say average cost of medication for kidney transplant patient for one month na about N150,000, and the foundation don dey support patients since dem establish for November 2017.
Ajah yarn say her experience working with dialysis patients for over ten years make her see gap for post-transplant care, especially how patients no dey get life-saving drugs wey dem need to sustain transplanted organs. She talk, “I work with dialysis patients from 2000 to 2013. For those years, I see say some of them go do transplant. After the transplant, dem need medications to sustain the organ, but those drugs no dey readily available. So I enter that space and start import them. These na immunosuppressants or anti-rejection drugs.”
The pharmacist continue say she begin import the drugs from India, England and France. She talk say the drugs expensive well-well, and patients need them for life. She later notice say some patients go stop come for months because dem no fit afford the drugs. Ajah warn say if transplant patients miss medication, e fit lead to organ failure and death.
She talk, “When I no hear from them for some time, I find out say dem miss their medication because dem no fit buy am. That one dangerous well-well because if dem no take the drugs, the transplanted organ go fail. I wan find way to support them and help keep them alive. I dey look for way to make my business win-win, to give back, to keep these patients alive.”
The coordinator yarn say some patients sell their property, including ceiling fans, to buy drugs, while some patients pikin stop school so dem fit afford the medications. She talk, “Some sell household items or dem no pay school fees to buy these drugs. To see how serious these situations dey motivate me to help as much as possible within my capacity.”
Give Hope to Kidney Foundation coordinator add say the foundation don continue to support patients with medications and treatment. She mention case of one beneficiary wey don receive long-term assistance. “We dey support patients as much as we fit. For example, we don dey support one patient since she dey for SS3. Both of her kidneys fail, and we fund her dialysis for several years. She later do transplant, go university, graduate and now dey serve. We still dey support her with medication,” she talk.
Ajah yarn say dem do the outreach to celebrate World Kidney Day, wey dem dey mark for second Thursday of March, and to create awareness and provide free medical care to residents. She talk say for last year, the foundation do similar outreach for Agege Market, where over 300 people get screened, and say this year target na to see 100 to 200 patients.
The coordinator talk say the foundation partner with New Heaven Specialist Hospital and Dialysis Centre, May and Baker Nigeria Plc, and other individual sponsors for the outreach. She disclose say for last year outreach for Agege, the foundation find out say most people dey hypertensive and no know am, while others get high blood sugar levels and no know the consequences.
Ajah talk, “Statistics talk say 20 million Nigerians dey affected by kidney disease, whether acute, chronic, end-stage, need transplant, or transplant survivor. Many people no sabi the terrible, fatal consequences of kidney failure. And as I talk before, management na for life. Once you develop kidney failure, management na for life. E dey cost plenty money.”
She beg Nigerians to put their health first through regular medical checks and healthy lifestyle choices. Ajah talk, “If you don pass 40, you suppose do medical check at least once a year. Know your blood pressure and blood sugar levels because these na risk factors for kidney disease. People suppose drink enough water, reduce salt intake and eat well. We suppose avoid too much sugar because e dey contribute to diabetes. Half of your plate suppose be vegetables, while quarter suppose be protein and the other quarter carbohydrates.”
The pharmacist call on Nigerians to check the colour of their urine, and talk say urine suppose be clear if person drink enough water. The Secretary of Give Hope to Kidney Foundation, Sophia Abiri-Franklin, also talk with PUNCH Healthwise for the event. She explain say the initiative come from challenges wey patients face after dem leave structured healthcare support systems.
Abiri-Franklin yarn say many patients wey before dey cover by corporate health insurance often struggle to cope with high cost of treatment after dem leave work. She talk say cost of post-transplant medication don rise well-well over the years, and e dey put heavy burden on patients. “When we start years ago, e dey about N100,000, but now average cost of medication for kidney transplant patient per month na about N150,000,” she talk.
The legal practitioner add say the foundation before dey rely on personal contributions from its president, one pharmacist, before dem formally establish am as trust to make sure e dey sustainable. She explain say apart from financial support, the foundation dey do regular outreach programmes wey aim to raise awareness and promote early detection of kidney disease.
Abiri-Franklin stress say low awareness and poor health-seeking behaviour still remain major drivers of kidney-related complications for Nigeria. She talk say many Nigerians no dey go for routine medical checks and often dey use traditional remedies, wey fit make their condition worse. She note say one scary thing about kidney issues na that 90 to 95 per cent of patients wey dey at risk of kidney disease often no know their condition until e become severe.
She talk, “One of the scary things about this kidney issue na that 90 to 95 per cent of patients no even know say dem dey at risk of kidney disease by the time dem show symptoms. So that mean, you fit imagine if majority of people no know whether dem get one issue or the other. One of the things we find during our outreach na that many people dey rely on local concoctions and no drink enough water, wey fit negatively affect kidney health.”
Abiri-Franklin add say the foundation plan to expand its outreach programmes across local government areas for Lagos and beyond, to increase awareness and improve early detection. The lead nurse and clinical administrator at Kidney Solutions, Mrs Patience Nwoko, talk during the health awareness session say the major causes of kidney problems na diabetes and hypertension.
Nwoko talk, “The major cause of kidney problems na diabetes and hypertension. That na the grandfather and father of kidney problems. So when you get diabetes and hypertension, and dem no dey well managed, e go damage the kidneys.” The nurse list other factors wey fit cause kidney problems, including sudden loss of blood, improper use of medications, especially analgesics, wrong use of herbal portions, infection, sepsis, and dehydration.
She beg Nigerians to check their blood pressure once every week and check their sugar levels regularly, and warn against self-medication. Nwoko talk, “Please, no go pharmacy or chemist and talk say my blood pressure high. If e high, you tell your doctor and go hospital. People need to dey monitored at least for one day, six hours apart.”
The nurse warn against improper use of herbal medicine, and talk say people no know the proper dosage or the types of leaves to use, and say this fit lead to kidney damage. Nwoko talk say kidney disease fit dey managed well if dem detect am early, and she beg people to visit hospitals for urinalysis when dem notice any symptoms.
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