Adeze Ojukwu
The daughter of Senator Ike Ekweremadu, Sonia, recently cried out desperately for a kidney donor. Her plea, reflects the agony and anguish of persons living with End Stage Kidney Failure(ESKF) or Chronic Kidney Failure(CKD).
The kidney is a very complex organ, with about four functions. Unlike the liver, the kidney is not very regenerative. A publication by United States(US)-based Cleveland Clinic, a non-profit academic medical center, provides a detailed report about this organ.
“The kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that filter your blood. Your kidneys are part of your urinary system. Your kidneys filter about 200 quarts of fluid every day — enough to fill a large bathtub. During this process, your kidneys remove waste, which leaves your body as urine.”
“Most people urinate about two quarts daily. The body re-uses the other 198 quarts of fluid. Your kidneys also help balance your body’s fluids, mostly water, and electrolytes. Electrolytes are essential minerals, that include sodium and potassium.”
“Most people have two kidneys, situated at the back of the abdomen. The kidneys’ primary function is to filter human blood. They also remove waste and balance the body’s fluids. Common kidney conditions include kidney disease, kidney infections and kidney cysts. Many persons, with diabetes or high blood pressure have the highest risk of kidney problems. Accidents or trauma can also harm thr kidneys, such as car accidents or sports injuries.”
By its multiple functions and delicate structure, the kidney, requires specialized management, when it is diseased or damaged.
Cheerily, scientists are working assiduously, to use stem cell regenerative therapies and other high-tech procedures to address renal issues, particularly in advanced countries, where medical services are highly-prioritized and well-funded.
The situation is radically different in Nigeria, because of inadequate budgetary allocations to education, health an humanitarian services. As a result, the masses, most of who are poor and hungry, are knocked down by preventable diseases including malaria, diarrhoea, typhoid.
Majority of the citizens also have to contend with escalation of many chronic diseases, such as heart conditions, diabetes, renal failure and cancer. Hence, life expectancy in the country is abysmally low, while mortality and morbidity rates remain high.
The irony is that the political class is not affected by these health calamities, because they patronize world-class hospitals, abroad. President Muhammadu Buhari is heavily criticized for his frequent health checks in Britain and other countries.
It is same for most Nigerian politicians and their allies, who shamelessly, ignore hospitals in Nigeria, and travel to foreign lands for medical treatment, even for common ailments. Sadly, they have failed to invest in excellent health care delivery and essential human services.
Many politicians are accused of diverting public funds meant for the development of health, education and other key sectors of the economy. Consequently, economic growth is stifled, while underdevelopment thrives.
With the parlous state of the economy and humongous conditions of the populace, many Nigerians subsist, on less than one dollar a day. The situation is worse for most sick people, especially most renal patients. Their plight is horrific, due to the financial burden and lack of willing kidney donors.
Pain and penury often characterize this debilitating condition, because dialysis and transplant, which are the two major treatment therapies for kidney failure, are complex and burdensome. As beneficial, as these lifesaving protocols are, they are expensive, cumbersome and laden with serious health risks.
Most patients cannot afford the weekly dialysis, estimated at about 35,000 naira for one session. They also have to spend money on drugs, tests and consultancies. Renal transplant, currently, costs over N10million, with additional costs of regular tests and hospital visits.
Most advanced countries subsidize the cost of renal care, drugs and tests, especially for indigent and aged people. In Nigeria and some African countries, this is not so. Most patients suffer and sometimes die, because of the exorbitant cost of renal services.
It is worse with people, who also suffer from heart diseases, diabetes, obesity, and other conditions. However this condition can be effectively managed through adequate funding and management of renal centres across the country.
Additionally, nephrologists and renal staff should also be highly remunerated for their specialist services. Good wages and working conditions will drastically reduce brain drain among renal specialists.
These interventions, will ultimately boost their morale and also motivate them to delve into critical research areas, such as stem cell kidney regeneration, development of artificial kidneys and precision kidney self-repair.
Unfortunately, the nation’s leaders are more interested in looting the national patrimony, because they view their access to power as a license to steal public funds.
Clearly, Senator Ekweremadu’s current legal battles reflect the government’s ineptitude and abysmal failure to promote the welfare of citizens. Instead of deploying resources to build super speciality hospitals, as in India, Turkey, Egypt and Israel, the nation’s leaders, prefer to squander the money on luxuries and vanities.
While some Nigerians have expressed sympathy for Sonia, many others are visibly angry with Ekweremadu and his elite club for the suffering of the young girl and all other Nigerian renal patients.
The brazen neglect of vulnerable and disadvantaged persons in society, is a sign of an irresponsibility and a symbol of systemic leadership failure.
It is immoral, unjust and vicious for this administration to continue to perpetuate such atrocities on citizens.
If, the daughter is crying out for help, then what is the lot of the common man. Nigerian leaders should take a cue from Ekweremadu’s current challenges and invest more in Human Capital Development(HCD).
This will save the country, as well as its people and leaders from unnecessary embarrassment, particularly, in global spheres.
Meanwhile, it would be gratuitous, if kind-spirited individuals should step out and help Sonia, as well as other persons that desperately need kidney replacements.
•Ojukwu is a Fellow of Hubert H Humphrey Fellowship and publisher. She is a campaigner and advocate for improved socio-economic and health services for all citizens, as well as the implementation of the Sustainable Development Goals(SDGS).
*Send feedback to adeze.ojukwu@gmail.com
