World Kidney Day: Kaduna govt calls for public-private collaboration

Kaduna State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Amina Mohammed Baloni, has called for collaboration between the government and members of the public, for an effective healthcare system because of the enormous financial demands that it entails.

The commissioner who spoke at the World Kidney Day, thanked the Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital Community Support Initiative, for establishing the Hajiya Amina Ahmad Monrovia Renal Centre.

She also said that dialysis is financially taxing.

Baloni said that government subsidizes the treatment of patients at the Renal Centre, adding that “we should work out a model whereby people get treated at a subsidized rate without allowing the centre to collapse.”

The commissioner said that the World Kidney Day is aimed at creating awareness about kidney care and how people can prevent kidney diseases by adopting a more healthy lifestyle and engaging in regular exercise.

World Kidney Day is observed globally on March 10 every year and the theme of this year is “Kidney Health For All”.

Speaking at the occasion, Dr. Muhammad Bello Armiyau, Head of the Hajiya Amina Ahmad Monrovia Renal Centre, thanked Governor Nasir El Rufai for making a personal donation for the take off of the centre, adding that he has been rendering support to the Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital.

Dr. Armiyau said that the hospital has been connected to the power grid of Government House Kaduna, “so we don’t experience power outage because we run on the power source of Sir Kashim Ibrahim House.”

The Director also praised Kaduna State Government for providing the centre with free medical consumables which enable patients to access care at subsidized rate of N16,000, instead of between N25,000.

In his welcome remarks, Dr. Yusuf Nadabo Abdullahi, a member of the Yusuf Dantsoho Memorial Hospital Community Support Initiative, listed the functions of kidneys and how to keep them healthy.

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He advised that people should exercise regularly so as to help lower the risk of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), control their blood sugar, monitor their blood pressure, eat healthy by monitoring their salt intake and the amount of processed meat they consume.

Dr. Abdullahi also advised that people should drink about eight glasses of water daily to avoid dehydration, avoid smoking and Over the Counter pills and above all, they should test their kidneys regularly.

The Star