Kidney patients more vulnerable to disaster

Industry Desk: Speakers at a roundtable discussion on Saturday stressed the need to have emergency response plans of the hospitals with coordinated support to address needs of urgent treatment of patients including critical kidney patients during the period of unwanted disasters.
They also stressed the need to adopt integrated health strategies that prioritise prevention, early detection, and management of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), including kidney disease, reads a press release.
Voluntary organisation Kidney Awareness, Monitoring and Prevention Society (KAMPS) organised the roundtable discussion as part of its series of programmes in observance of the World Kidney Day-2023.
This year the day will be observed on 9 March (Thursday).
They pointed out that the health care services should provide equitable and proper access to care for chronic patients in times of emergency.
Founder and Chairman of KAMPS Prof. Dr. MA Samad moderated the roundtable, who also made a power presentation on the theme of the current year’s world kidney day.
Shedding light on the overall scenario of Kidney diseases in the country including its reasons, treatment and consequences, Prof. Samad said that every possible effort should be made to ensure the right to treatment of kidney patients all over the country irrespective of rich and poor or disadvantaged groups.
He said that the governments should include emergency preparedness plans in the management and detection of NCDs and favour the prevention of these conditions.
Prof Samad also suggested that the patients should plan for emergencies by preparing an emergency kit that includes food, water, medical supplies, and medical records.
Md Mijanur Rahman, Director General, Department of Disaster Management, Brig Gen (Retd) Engr Ali Ahmed Khan, former Director General, Fire Service and Civil Defence, Architech Iqbal Habib, Joint Secretary, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon (BPA), Dr. Mehedy Ahmed Ansary, Professor, Department of Civil Engineering, BUET, Prof. Dr. Harunur Rashid, President, Kidney Foundation, Prof Dr Nizam Uddin, President, Bangladesh Renal Association, Prof Dr Md Qamrul Islam, Managing Director, CKD & Urology Hospital, Dr Abdul Latif Helali, Project Director, Urban Resilience Project, RAJUK, Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, former skipper, national cricket team, Prof. Dr. Harisul Huq, Professor of the Department of Cardiology, BSMMU and General Secretary, KAMPS addressed the roundtable discussion as panel discussants.
Rezwan Salehin, Executive Director of the KAMPS offered vote of thanks.
Dr MA Samad, also the Head of the Department of Kidney at Anwar Khan Modern Medical College Hospital in his presentation stressed need for widespread awareness among people to prevent the kidney diseases referring that the treatment of this disease is critical and it’s cost is excessively high that is not possible to bear for lower income segment of people.