LAHORE: Kidney patients have to wait for months before getting the dialysis treatment in public hospitals across the city, as the number of dialysis machines are too few to cater to such an increasing number, Pakistan Today has learnt.
According to a survey conducted in major teaching hospitals of the city, despite the availability of dialysis machines and free of cost treatment, long waiting lists of patients has been observed. Services Hospital has nine machines and caters to 18 patients in two shifts everyday, with a waiting list of 250 patients; Sir Gangaram Hospital has 14 machines and cater to 40 to 45 patients in three shifts per day, with the waiting list of three months; Mayo Hospital has 24 machines catering to nearly 70 patients a day in three shifts with 50 patients registered in the waiting list; Sheikh Zayed Hospital has 32 machines to dialyze 96 patients in three shifts everyday and a waiting list of 200 patients, while 13 machines at Jinnah Hospital dialyze 39 patients in three shifts with a waiting list of nearly 300 patients. Medical experts said dialysis was a continuous process and a kidney failure patient had to visit a medical facility twice a week for four hours. They said a new patient gets his or her turn only if the already enrolled patient opts for kidney transplant or dies. This has caused a lot of inconvenience to poor patients who cannot afford to visit a private dialysis facility for a treatment available free of cost across the public sector hospitals.
Iqbal Anjum, who had to return from Sheikh Zayed Hospital owing to a long waiting list, said, “The dialysis facility available in the public sector is very good and is free of cost but this has caused long lists of patients across government hospitals, waiting for their turn which comes after months. I’ve checked from a couple of other hospitals as well but in vain. The government should either set up more dialysis centres or devise a mechanism for those waiting in distress. My father needs dialysis and now I’m taking him to Jinnah Hospital. I do not know if he will get a bed there.”
CONTROLLING THE NEED FOR DIALYSIS: Talking to Pakistan Today, Sir Gangaram Hospital Medical Superintendent Dr Ijaz said the available dialysis machines were installed with a vision that patients will be referred for kidney transplant after one-time dialysis, however transplant did not prove a success and hence patients are being dialyzed repeatedly. He said the strategy to cope with renal failure should be changed and the number of patients should be reduced instead of increasing the number of dialysis machines. Ijaz also mentioned the need for establishing an institute of nephrology and kidney transplant where free-of-cost transplant facility should be ensured. “Only then can the number of patients on dialysis be reduced and the facility can be made available to cater to the increasing number of patients,” Ijaz concluded. Mayo Hospital Urology Head Dr Nawaz Chugtai said kidney transplant could not be a success because the trend of donating kidneys was not popularized among the people. He said nearly 16,000 new cases of kidney failure were registered across Pakistan every year. Moreover, he said 40 to 50 percent patients were not even surgically fit for transplantation, while only a meagre 15 percent donate their kidneys to relatives. Chugtai further said the medical community has been pressing upon the government to set up a Punjab institute of urology and kidney transplant to cater to patients with kidney diseases. He said there were many such centres in India and in Pakistan an extensive programme was needed to address the kidney related problems.
