Hemodialysis, commonly called dialysis, is the process of purifying the blood of a patient whose kidneys are not functioning normally.
In hemodialysis, blood is removed from the body, filtered through a machine and then returned to the body to mimic the kidney's functions.
The CMCH is the only public hospital in the entire Chittagong region with dialysis facilities. It has nine hemodialysis machines that can provide services to 18-20 patients per day.
A patient with damaged kidneys needs at least two sessions of dialysis a week.
Brig Gen Md Jalal Uddin, director of the CMCH, told the Dhaka Tribune that the establishment of a full-fledged hemodialysis centre was a long-felt demand.
“The new hemodialysis unit was going to be launched from the first week of September. The construction work is now at its final stage. We have procured 34 hemodialysis machines for the unit. The hemodialysis centre will be able to provide service to at least 102 patients in three sessions per day,” the director said.
“We will supervise and keep a close watch on the hemodialysis unit so that the patients can reap maximum benefit from the hospital,” he assured.
During a recent visit to the under-construction hemodialysis unit housed on the ground floor of the hospital, it was seen that workers were busy installing suspended ceiling.
Bangladesh government signed a deal with the Indian firm Sandor Medicaids to provide improved access to quality dialysis care on January 27, 2015.
As per the Public Private Partnership (PPP) project, two hemodialysis centres will be set up at the CMCH and National Institute of Kidney Disease and Urology (NIKDU) in Dhaka.
This is the first agreement in the health sector in the PPP model.
As per the agreement, the Indian company will invest Tk250 million for the next 10 years.
The government will give them space, utility facilities and nephrologists in two hemodialysis centres at public hospitals.
Sandor Medicals will be responsible for everything from buying those machines to installing and maintaining them.
The firm will also recruit support staff, if needed, according to the agreement.
It will charge the existing fee of Tk400 from poor patients for each session of dialysis while well-off patients will have to pay Tk2,190.
According to Kidney Foundation Bangladesh and Bangladesh Renal Association, the number of patients suffering from kidney diseases is increasing rapidly in the country.
Nearly 2 million people are suffering from various kidney and urological problems in Bangladesh.
The Health Ministry says at least 400,000 people suffer from kidney diseases a year. Of them, 20,000 die from kidney failure.
Dr Sk Md Jamal Mostafa Chowdhury, assistant director of CMCH, said patients from low-income groups cannot afford the recurring costs of the dialysis treatment.
“There are around 600 dialysis machines all over the country which can only treat about 8% of the patients with end stage renal disease.”
“The new hemodialysis unit will meet the ever increasing demand for quality dialysis treatment in greater Chittagong,” he hoped.
Thursday, April 25, 2024
