Kidney disease on the rise in three provinces

NADIRA GUNATILLEKE

In Sri Lanka, 200 persons in every one million people suffer from kidney disease. 2,500 kidney patients have already been reported from Girandurukotte area while another 1,200 patients have been reported from Padaviya.

The Healthcare and Nutrition Ministry has decided to subject all residents in Wayamba, North Central and Uva Provinces to free medical examinations as a precaution, Ministry sources said.

Sources said that the number of patients reported from Polonnaruwa is 1,000 and another 1,000 patients have been reported from Medirigiriya. There are 800 patients from Mahiyanganaya and 400 kidney patients from Nikawewa.

The Government spends over Rs. 3,500 million annually and also spends Rs. 7,000 million for medications. For dialysis one patient has to spend between Rs. 5,000 to 8,000 and one kidney transplant costs Rs. 700,000. Residents in all three provinces will be subjected to free medical checks and the Ministry will provide funds for this purpose.

The Ministry took this decision after considering the fact that the reason/reasons behind the rapid increase of kidney diseases in the Wayamba, North Central and Uva Provinces have not been discovered so far.

Diabetes, high blood pressure, excessive intake of red meat and animal proteins, lack of drinking water, smoking, use of illegal alcohol, use of insecticides, excessive use of fertilisers, eating fish with cadmium content, led and aluminium contaminated water and the use of certain drugs are some of the reasons which cause kidney disease. But none of those reasons have a direct impact on the rapid increase of kidney patients in the above three provinces.