Health Specialists to Undergo Kidney Treatment Training

Kidney patients in the country are set to benefit in their counties as they will no longer need to travel all the way to Kenyatta National Hospital (KNH) for treatment.

The Ministry of Health has directed all doctors from all public hospitals in the country to go through a mandatory kidney treatment training that will kick off this month. The three months training is meant to cost Sh.180,000 per person.

The government disclosed that it will be releasing Sh.38 billion that will be used for a Kidney equipment leasing project in the country. Most of those expected to attend the training will mostly come from the counties so that they can acquire the skills to be used in the treatment of kidney patients who struggle to seek medical attention at the Kenyatta National Hospital, which is the only government hospital with the equipment.

The equipment will be supplied to all level five hospitals in all 47 counties, creating the need for the training so that health specialists can be in a position to use them efficiently. Some of the key areas that the training will touch on include dialysis, care and surgery.

Apart from the kidney treatment equipment, the hospitals will also be supplied with surgical and sterilization machines, laboratory equipment, ICU facilities, ultrasound and imaging machines.

Research carried out by the government showed that almost 4 million people in the country have some form of kidney disease, thus the urgent need for the allocation of the equipment. Many of these patients visit KNH daily for dialysis sessions with every session costing approximately Sh.5,000.

It is so saddening that currently, there are only 23 kidney specialists in the country yet the number of patients is very high. 15 out of the 23 are based in Nairobi, therefore other parts of the country lack an adequate number of specialists that can help in the treatment and management of the disease.

Article by Vera Shawiza.