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Lack Of Awareness Leads To Rise In Kidney Patients
By Azaraimy HH

Bandar Seri Begawan - "The alarming trend in the rise of kidney patients in Brunei has directly challenged our own health care system," said Brunei's Health Minister, Pehin Dato Seri Setia Awg Haji Suyoi bin Haji Osman.

Speaking on the World Kidney Day 2008 Celebration at the Songket Ballroom, The Rizqun International Hotel, Sunday, Pehin Dato Seri Setia Haji Suyoi called for a much more aggressive public awareness programme, urged primary health care doctors to be more agile in detecting the early signs and asked the public to pass on the message to family and friends.

According to statistics, some 500 million in the world have contracted one of the many kinds of kidney ailments. If this number was correct, then one out of 10 who were present in the Ballroom either has kidney failure or faces the risk of getting the disease, said the minister.

"How many of us here know this fact?" he asked.

The fact that there is a lack of public awareness on kidney diseases is one of

the main hurdles in stemming the rise in number of patients.

"Research indicates that only less than five per cent of the public knows where the kidneys are in the body and what their functions are. This is pretty much worrying and the public awareness programmes on the issue must be made much more aggressive," said the minister.

The minister added that kidney diseases also add to the risk of contracting heart diseases.

"Unfortunately, many patients died from heart attack before they reached a stage where they would have required dialysis treatment," he said.

He also said that according to latest prediction some 36 million of the global populace would die from chronic kidney diseases and cardiovascular diseases by 2015.

"Today we must all make a pledge to pass on the message to family members and friends to save our kidneys and hearts," he said.

Kidney is the most remarkable of organs, working relentlessly day and night, 24 hours and seven days a week, all but to ensure that we can live a life healthily, he said.

"It is resilient and tough, it only shows any visible sign or symptoms until its functions are more than 80 per cent damaged. Dialysis treatment only becomes necessary when 90 per cent of its functions have failed," he said, adding, "We-are facing a disease that will attack in silence mode if left unnoticed in its early contraption."

If the disease is detected early, a patient can slow down its progression by taking certain prescriptions and by practising a healthy lifestyle, the minister said.

It is therefore advantageous if the disease is detected early among the populace so as to avoid kidney failures from happening and reduce the burden it brings to the country.

The disease can be detected through Integrated Health Screening among public servants, Healthy Mukim Programme, or at the Department of Health or Department of Renal Services.

It is already known that the risk of kidney failures is high in those people who have diabetes mellitus, high blood pressure, smokers, and overweight problems and also those in the upper 50 years old age bracket. People who have a family history in kidney problems are also prone to get the disease, said the minister.

"Therefore, those in that categories should act now, meet the doctor so that your kidneys can be saved," he said.

He also urged primary health care doctors to be more agile in detecting early signs of kidney diseases. "I was informed that the Department of Nephrology has already answered a call from the International Federation of Kidney Foundations and International Society of Nephrology to provide 'Clinical Practice Guidelines' that we will launch today," he said.

He hoped that with the launching of the guideline, chronic kidney diseases could be better managed.

To date, 504 people in the country have undergone "renal replacement therapy", 408 have undergone hemodialysis, 65 in peritoneal dialysis and 31 patients have undergone kidney transplants and are still in the treatment stage.

The minister also urged patients and staff to work hand in hand to use dialysis facilities provided by the government of His Majesty the Sultan in a beneficial manner.

He also called on patients to follow rules and regulations in using the facility. He said the dialysis treatment is not meant to heal patients but to enable them to carry on with their lives. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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