Tinaani Nyabereka
Gweru- Zimbabwe has been reported as one of the African countries which is greatly affected by high cases of renal failure among its population.
The development has seen most people in dire need of dialysis as part of treatment despite the challenge of resources which continue to affect governments on the continent (Africa) to adequately render treatment as needed.
According to a recent ZimFact report, people with renal failure require dialysis as part of their treatment.
A medical expert Dr Sydney Mpofu said that based on a person’s condition, one may require more dialysis sessions per week or two.
“Sometimes three sessions per week are required and most facilities offering dialysis services are in Harare, with a few outside the capital.
“In some cases, kidney failure may be a temporary problem and dialysis can be stopped when your kidneys recover. But often, someone with kidney failure will need a kidney transplant. It’s not always possible to carry out a kidney transplant straight away, so dialysis may be needed until a suitable kidney donor becomes available.
“If a kidney transplant is not suitable for a patient for example, because one is not well- healthy enough to have a major operation, then dialysis may be needed for the rest of that patient life,” he said.
Dialysis is a treatment which helps one’s body to remove extra fluid and waste products from the blood when the kidneys are failing to extract such waste.
The 2021 peer reviewed journal published by the American Journal of Kidney Diseases as recorded by ZimFact, revealed that the prevalence rate of dialysis in Zimbabwe stood at 33.4 percent of patients per million population.
The study further highlighted that the estimated prevalence rate among males stands at 46.0 percent patients per million population and 21.8 percent patients per million population among females.
In Zimbabwe, cases of kidney failure have been on an upward trend owing to hypertension, diabetes and aging.
ZimFact noted that dialysis treatment costs range between US$ 80 – US$ 220 per session in private institutions and government in 2018 committed to provide free dialysis care in public hospitals to cater for people who cannot afford to pay for the cost of treatment.
