Kidney patients are vulnerable during disasters: Experts

Staff Reporter :
Speakers in a round table discussion meeting said that kidney patients are most vulnerable during any types of unforeseen disasters.
They said that kidney diseases become a serious health hazardous worldwide.
Wide ranged infections among the people, huge treatment costs, catastrophic consequences of these patients pushed numbers of kidney patients to death worldwide, the discussants said.
 The experts said that the kidney patients need to emergency preparations for keeping them safe during sudden and unforeseen disasters.
Kidney Awareness Monitoring and Prevention Society – KAMPS organised the meeting at the National Press Club in the capital on Saturday.
Professor Dr. MA Samad, President and Founder of KAMPS presented the key note paper in the event.
Professor Dr. MA Samad said that the government and authorities in local administrations have to be more aware about disaster management.
He suggested, the authorities have to be alert about unforeseen disasters like earthquake, tsunami, fire, and such others so that the seriously ill patients like kidney survivors could avail their medical treatment and support continuously.
The Professor also commended the patients to personally stock emergency medicines and kit box. Gather knowledge and information about alternative dialysis centers. Maintain networks with the relatives, friends and neighbors to gain emergency assistances. Those patients have to change their diets such as to take less food, vegetables, fruits and water during the unexpected disasters.
The other experts of the discussion also emphasised such matters.
Professor Dr. Md. Tito Mian, Director General of the Directorate General of
Medical Education, Md. Mijanur Rahman, Director General of Department of Disaster Management, Brigadier General (Rtd) Engineer Ali Ahmed Khan, Director General of Fire Service and Civil Defense, Urban Specialist Architect Iqbal Habib, Professor Dr. Md. Kamrul Islam, Managing Director of CKD and Urology Hospital, Cricketer Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, and Professor Dr. Nizam Uddin Chowdhury, President Bangladesh Renal Association gave speech in the programme.
The speakers urged the government to ensure medical treatment facilities to all kidney patients indiscriminately poor or rich people and urban or remote areas patients especially during any disaster.
They said that there are more than two crore kidney patients in Bangladesh.
Among them, 35 to 40 thousands of the patients’ kidneys become totally dysfunctional every year.
The experts said that the kidney patients need undisrupted medicines and in cases, dialysis’, so they have to special care during disasters.