The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : A disease that is a curse on patients

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Thursday, Mar 20, 2008
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Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

A disease that is a curse on patients

Swathi.V

Hari Prakash from Chittoor sold 10 acres for treatment of kidney ailment

Pinning hopes: Navya, a kidney patient, and her mother Yadamma waiting desperately for help from the community and the government.

HYDERABAD: Life is a battlefield for D.Navya, a kidney patient undergoing dialysis in Medwin Hospital.

An early diabetic, the 31-year-old had to abort her pregnancy as it was feared unsafe for her kidneys. However, she lost her kidneys too after a while and has been on dialysis for four years. Deserted by her husband, she recently lost her eyesight too.

“I sold two houses and jewellery for my daughter’s treatment and spent about Rs.10 lakh purely on dialysis,” relates Navya’s mother Yadamma.

Hari Prakash, an engineer from Chittoor was preparing for GATE when his kidneys failed. He sold 10 acres of land for the treatment and subsequent dialysis. Shunned by his kin, he is now running from pillar to post to finance his treatment.

Crippling disease

“There are organisations for heart and cancer patients. But none for us,” he laments in despair.

More than lack of awareness, it is the ignorance of the community that is sounding the death knell for these patients.

Closed doors of the government hospitals and the indifference of various voluntary organisations clearly indicate that these patients are ostracised due to the exorbitant cost of treatment.

“Kidney failures are clearly on the rise. Most of them result from diabetes. The situation can only worsen as India is set to become the ‘Diabetes capital of the world’ and Hyderabad is the worst case within the country,” says Anuradha, a nephrologist.

Apart from diabetes, urinary infections during childhood and indiscriminate use of analgesic drugs are other reasons for kidney failure.

Scant facilities

Despite the disease trends, the facilities offered are too few. Government hospitals administer dialysis only to patients awaiting kidney transplantations and in most cases the disposables have to be bought by the patients themselves. Arogyasri scheme has no mention of dialysis to chronic patients.

“Each dialysis costs Rs.1,350 and often we end up not taking the mandatory Erythropoietin injection due to its prohibitive cost. Many delay the dialysis itself due to poverty. It results in untold misery,” says I.Mamatha, a kidney patient who founded the Welfare Association for Kidney Patients with 300 of her ilk.

She is part of the project by Red Cross for setting up a dialysis centre at Vijayawada. MP L.Rajagopal promised them two dialysis machines from his MPLADS funds.

Increased risk

The patients also face the risk of Hepatitis C infection due to unhygienic apparatus. Once the infection strikes, the hope of transplantation will wane as it involves the use of immuno-suppressant drugs. Hari Prakash, Navya and Mamatha all have the infection.

“Dialysis sustains about 80 per cent of the kidney patients who could not get a donor for transplantation. Given proper treatment at concessional rates, we can lead normal lives. We desperately need help from society and the government,” says Hari Prakash.

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