Kitui County Referral Hospital dialysis machines, a sigh of relief for kidney patients

The leasing of five dialysis machines to Kitui County Referral Hospital has offered relief for kidney patients in the region to access quality and affordable medical care.
The machines form part of a medical equipment consignment amounting to over Sh700 million domiciled both at the referral facility and Mwingi Level 4 Hospital to provide affordable diagnostic and treatment services.
According to the latest World Health Organization (WHO) data published in 2017 kidney disease deaths in Kenya reached 1,508 or 0.54 percent of total deaths.
In addition, the WHO research has found out that kidney disease, like some sickness, can be inherited genetically from family members who had the infection.
However, despite the facility lacking a kidney specialist, Dr. John Mungai who is the hospital’s medical superintendent has been trained on how to handle kidney patients seeking dialysis services at the facility.
Dr. Mungai says that lifestyle diseases including high blood pressure and diabetes if neglected and not properly treated contribute to the kidney failure.
According to the medical superintendent, it was envisaged that the arrival of these machines would make it possible for key hospitals in counties to diagnose, treat and manage life-threatening and terminal diseases such as cancer.
Cancer is now the third highest cause of death in Kenya accounting for seven per cent of all deaths, according to statistics from the Kenya Network of Cancer Organizations.
In the past, lack of modern equipment to diagnose the disease and lack of radiotherapy equipment to treat it had seen many cancer patients, especially from low-income families, succumb to the disease.
Dr. Mungai now says the narrative has changed following the arrival of these government leased equipment to ease treatment and access services at the county referral hospitals.
He added that primary healthcare providers should be very alert for kidney symptoms because some health service providers mistakenly give wrong medication which in turn complicates the matter endangering lives.
By Yobesh Onwong’a