HEALTHCARE AND THE KIDNEY

The authorities could do more on this health emergency

Kidney, the organ that helps to filter waste products from the blood and regulates electrolyte balance and red blood cell production, is vital for human survival. Yet it is an organ most Nigerians know little or nothing about. This is because renal failure does not attract the kind of attention focused on medical issues like malaria, HIV/AIDS and tuberculosis despite the fact that a chunk of the population is afflicted by this disease that claims scores of lives on a daily basis. The theme for today’s 2026 World Kidney Day could therefore not have been more apt: “Kidney Health for All: Caring for People, Protecting the Planet”.

 

Until now, renal failure was viewed as an elitist ailment because it was largely associated with the rich and a certain lifestyle characterised by unchecked appetite for processed foods and consumption of alcohol. But since post-mortem examinations are hardly performed on the causes of the death for poor people, such presumption hides the actual reality. Today, this silent epidemic now cuts across all social strata due to a number of factors some of which include the scourge of fake drugs, unregulated or long-term use of anti-inflammatory drugs and antibiotics, inadequate enlightenment and lack of periodic medical check-ups.

With the rising incidence of renal failure in the country, available statistics indicate that more than 25 million Nigerians are suffering from various stages of kidney-related diseases. This affliction plagues all age grades with as high as nine per cent of children on admission reported to be victims of renal failure. The disease could go undetected in the early stages because of lack of obvious symptoms. But at a later stage, referred to as end-stage kidney disease (ESKD), or end-stage renal disease (ESRD), the signs become obvious as unfiltered waste builds up in the body. These come in the form of frequent or infrequent urination, shortness of breath, swelling in feet and ankles, muscle

 The leading causes of the disease are varied, ranging from high blood pressure, diabetes, sickle cell and kidney infection. According to experts, other predisposing factors include obesity, untreated microbial infections, HIV, tuberculosis, hepatitis, and malaria. Smoking, toxicity due to long- term use of herbal concoctions as well as long- term use of skin whitening creams,  and abuse of analgesics had also been linked to the development of kidney disease. Unfortunately, even when the disease now ravages the country, there have been no sustainable awareness campaigns by health authorities, particularly on preventive measures that will help contain the scourge. 

We call on government and other stakeholders to rise to this new threat against the wellbeing of Nigerians. The starting point should be investment in preventive healthcare, which should include massive public enlightenment on the likely causes of renal-related diseases. Emphasis should also be placed on periodic medical tests as early detection could help check further deterioration. Besides, government should tackle the menace of fake drugs, and check the unregulated sale and consumption of herbal mixtures publicly displayed at motor parks, workplaces and even residential areas. The chemical composition of most of these herbal drugs are not only unknown, there are no proven tests to determine their side effects.

  

While we hope that National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC) will wake up to its responsibility in this regard, much more importantly, there is an urgent need for proper funding of the health sector. This calls for the expansion of medical infrastructure across the country and the need for capacity building to cope with this new threat. Policy measures that would encourage massive private sector investment in the health sector, especially in the area of establishing world class medical centers, should be initiated.