Obafemi Awolowo University Teaching Hospital Complex (OAUTHC)
in Ile-Ife, Osun State has introduced an affordable renal care services as part
of its measures to improve the wellbeing of Nigerians with kidney disease and
End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).
While Haemodialysis (renal dialysis) costs N15, 000, surgical
operation for a kidney transplant goes for N2.5 million.
The Chairman of the OAUTHC Board, Pharm Matthew Urhoghide
made this known to Good Health Weekly in a chat.
According to him, the subsidised renal care services were
introduced primarily to encourage Nigerians to patronize local health
facilities, as well as reduce the number of patients travelling to places like India
for haemodialysis and kidney transplants.
Urhoghide also disclosed that further plans to set up an
endowment fund to cater for indigent patients seeking healthcare services at
the tertiary health institution have also been concluded.
He said, "Renal disease has become so rampant in
Nigeria that we are looking at a statistic that one out of every 10 people has
a compromised kidney.
"On daily basis, we see Nigerians complaining of kidney
diseases and asking for help. They would say they have opened an account and in
need of N8 million to go to India for kidney transplant.
"We want to reduce the movement of Nigerians abroad to
seek medical services and expertise that is available here and is cheaper.
Government has asked us to help and that is what we are doing."
"In other hospitals, even at the University College
Hospital, UCH, Ibadan, one session of renal dialysis costs N30, 000 to N40,
000. Here, we charge N15, 000. We charge that low because of an existing
tradition here to charge the locals low to help them afford it. Again, we know
that majority of the people who use this facility are not from here but are
attracted by our lower prices.
"In this place, it actually costs less than N3 million
to have a kidney transplant. In India it is about N7 million to N8 million But
this is what we offer here. The idea is to reduce capital flight, and the
Federal government has a transformation agenda to enable people have access to
healthcare in Nigeria rather than go abroad."
Part of the goal was to try as much as possible to reduce
medical tourism and minimise capital flight and with overseas medical care, a
patient spends up to two or three times of what is required at OAUTHC, the Chairman
said.
In his view, the excuse that good health facilities are not
available in Nigeria is no longer tenable.
Urhoghide lamented the ignorance of people of the fact that
someone can have one functional kidney that will carry him or her throughout
life.
"One of the major challenges of carrying out kidney
transplants in this environment is getting people to donate kidneys.
"Our people are ignorant of the fact that a person can
survive on one kidney. Someone can have one functional kidney that will carry
him or her throughout life. We believe that if we are able to increase the
public awareness, we will reduce kidney-related death rates in Nigeria,"
he asserted.
The Board Chairman pointed out that the OAUTHC which has
carried out 13 kidney transplants till date and has one earmarked for July,
recently commissioned a brand new organ transplant theatre. "OAUTHC has
the best facilities for kidney transplants. People don't know we carried out
the first kidney transplant in Nigeria in 2002. Most other institutions depend
on this place for such feats, but this is the only teaching hospital that is
fully indigenous in operation."
Calling for increased public awareness to reduce
kidney-related death rates, he said kidney transplant is not just taking people
to the theatre and taking the kidney and replacing it.
"It is required to have a special theatre, a specialist
(called a kidney surgeon) and a nephrologist. At the OAUTHC, we have a tissue
typing lab for carrying out preliminary work of taking a part of the tissue
from any part of the body to determine if the kidney to be transplanted will be
compatible. OAUTHC is the only institution to have this laboratory in Nigeria.
"Previously, tissue samples from here were taken to
Egypt for confirmation but now we do market render such services, and other
institutions send samples here for confirmation," he said
Records from the health institution's Renal Unit show that
the incidence and prevalence of chronic kidney disease and ESRD have increased
exponentially in recent times.
Only a very small fraction of the ESRD population ever gets
transplanted and among reasons adduced for this development is high cost of
accessing renal care leading to unaffordability and inaccessibility. Other
constrains include shortage of donor organs and poor legislative support among
others.
On the setting up of an endowment fund for indigent
patients, he said the institution was working towads engaging philanthropists
and charity organisations in that respect.
"Many of our centres have several patients that cannot
pay at the point of discharge. It would help if the Governor can come to their
aid, particularly if they are from this State, even if it is at certain
fraction of the cost."
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