Khulna Correspondent :
The number of patients with kidney disease is gradually increasing in Khulna region. 2010, the kidney department started with ten dialysis beds in a government hospital, but currently there are 138 dialysis beds in seven hospitals. Although there is no statistics of patients in the district, doctors say that patients have increased several times in 14 years. And many are becoming destitute while undergoing expensive kidney treatment. Experts say that besides not controlling diabetes and high blood pressure, kidney disease is increasing due to non-prescription drugs.
Thirty six-year-old Alamgir now has to survive without the help of a dialysis machine. He has two kidney failures for six years. Since then, he has been undergoing dialysis twice a week to fight for survival.
His family is destitute of livelihood vehicles, cattle, land, all while undergoing this expensive treatment. Now he comes twice a week from Jessore’s Keshabpur to Shaheed Sheikh Abu Naser Specialized Hospital in Khulna’s Bastuhara area for treatment. However, he is also struggling to meet the cost of traveling by bus.
Not only Alamgir, many people came from far and wide to Shaheed Sheikh Abu Naser Specialized Hospital in the city for treatment of kidney disease. In 2010, the journey of a ten-bed kidney department started in this hospital with ten dialysis machines. At present two government and five private hospitals in the city have a total of 138 dialysis beds.
According to the information, the cost of dialysis in government hospitals is 400 to 500 taka. However, due to the fact that the number of beds is very less compared to patients, the cost of going to private hospitals is increasing by 6-7 times. And many people are becoming destitute while undergoing this expensive kidney treatment.
Similarly, a resident of Khalishpur area of Khulna is 32-year-old Al-Amin. It has been 7 years since two kidneys failed. Since then he is undergoing dialysis. Now he has to undergo dialysis three days a week. Al-Amin said that he has been receiving treatment at various hospitals in Dhaka and Khulna for a long time. He sold the gold ornaments of his mother and wife, the ancestral land of the village house to meet the medical expenses. There is no other treatment except kidney transplant and can’t afford to pay for a kidney transplant.
Dr. Md. Inamul Kabir, Head of Kidney Department and Assistant Professor of Shaheed Sheikh Abu Naser Specialized Hospital, said that although there are no statistics of patients in the district, doctors say that patients have increased several times in 14 years. And along with not controlling diabetes and high blood pressure, kidney disease is increasing due to non-prescription drug use.
He said, only awareness can control kidney disease. In 2023, 14 thousand 19 dialysis sessions were conducted in Shaheed Sheikh Abu Naser Specialized Hospital, 92 people died out of them. And about 9 thousand patients have received treatment for kidney disease.
Meanwhile, World Kidney Day was celebrated in Khulna with the theme ‘Healthy Kidneys for All’. Nephrology Department took out an awareness rally on the occasion of the day from Shaheed Sheikh Abu Naser Specialized Hospital in the city on Thursday morning. The rally ended at the main gate of the hospital after circling various roads.
Later, a discussion meeting was held there. Dr. Md. Inamul Kabir, head of the kidney department of the hospital, and Dr. Sheikh Abu Shahin, director of the hospital, spoke at the meeting.
