Dr Ebun Bamgboye a Nephrologist, said the prevalence of kidney failure in Africa is higher than anywhere else in the world, noting that the ailment can be controlled by early detection.
Bamgboye at a World Kidney Day event, organized by the Kidney Foundation for Africa, said the average African was four times more likely to develop kidney issues than the Caucasians.
He stressed the need to recognize, identify and screen sicknesses like hypertension, diabetics, sickle cell to detect early enough for proper management and reducing the speed of progression of renal failure.
He said, “America spends close to $40bn to manage patients with kidney disease. Our National Health Insurance Scheme covers only a few sessions of dialysis. So we must ensure that policy makers and stakeholders are informed about the significance and magnitude of the kidney failure.”
The wife of Lagos State Governor, Dr Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, said the state government would intensify awareness among residents on the effect of kidney disease.
She said hospital-based findings revealed that about 13 per cent of Nigeria’s population suffered from chronic kidney disease which was capable of leading to kidney failure and result in death.
“Available data from the World Health Organization show that about two million people in Lagos State are suffering from chronic kidney disease.
“For the administration of Babajide Sanwo-Olu, this is not acceptable and concerted efforts are being made to create awareness on the causes of the disease and the prevention methods to adopt,” Sanwo-Olu said.
