Prince Abdulaziz bin Salman bin Abdulaziz Al Saud, General Supervisor of Prince Fahd bin Salman Charitable Society for the Care of Kidney Failure Patients (Kelana) announced yesterday that public donations to the society during the past year reached SR 70 million. These donations included those received from the SMS donation campaign.
HRH launched the Kidney Disease Awareness Campaign on Saturday, 12/3/2011, at the Holiday Inn Al-Qasr Hotel in Riyadh. The campaign wasorganized jointly by the Prince Fahd bin Salman Charitable Society for the Care of Kidney Failure Patients (Kelana) and Prince Salman Center for Kidney Diseases (PSKC).
During his opening remarks, HRH stated that there is close cooperation between MOH and the charitable society; for example, this cooperation ensures that dialysis patients who suffer setbacks during treatment have immediate access to medical facilities adjacent to dialysis centers.
HRH added that the awareness campaign comes in accordance with World Kidney Day, the motto for which is “Protect Your Kidneys and Save Your Heart”.
The events include raising awareness about heart disease. Chronic kidney failure patients who are not committed to following their treatment programs, including prescribed dialysis sessions and medication greatly increase their risk of dying from heart attacksorstrokes, which are the leading causes of death worldwide.
According to the World Health Organization, the number of kidney failure patients is very high, with 500 million people worldwide suffering from chronic kidney failure.That number is still rising due to an increase in the incidence of diseases linked to kidney failure, such as high blood pressure and diabetes. Diabetes accounts for 37 percent of all kidney failure cases, and high blood pressure accounts for 23 percent. Worldwide, one in ten people suffer from some sort of chronic kidney disease.
110 people per million annually suffer from kidney failure in the Kingdom, a lower rate than the 250 per million people in the United States and 300 per million people in Asia. Efforts are being made to reduce the Kingdom’s rate, including the implementation of a number of awareness programs in coordination with MOH and other sectors providing healthcare services in the country.
Early diagnosis of chronic kidney disease is crucial to improving the clinical outcome, reducing the incidence of end-stage renal disease and protecting heart function.
After his speech, HRH cut the ribbon and officially opened the campaign’s medical exhibition. The exhibition includes clinical nutrition, nursing, health education, social services, mental health and information about thenumerous companies and charities participating in the events.
The Minister of Health,Dr. Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Al Rabeeah, also stated that MOH is planning to propose fourteen new centersfor kidney failure patients Kingdomwide. He added that these centers will be a great addition to existing centers in providing the exemplary health services to kidney failure patients.
HE clarified that while 500 million people suffer from chronic kidney failure worldwide; there are 12,000 patients in Saudi Arabia alone. MOH is keen to establish advanced centers to serve kidney failure patients around the Kingdom, and seeks to benefit from international expertise in improving these services. The Ministry will continue to develop and diversify its programs in order to achieve its goals.
HE also stated that MOH cooperates with many international, private and public health sectors, charities and private financial donors in order to provide the best possible care to kidney failure patients.
Dr. Khalid bin Abdul Aziz Al-Saaran, the General Supervisor for the Kidney Disease Awareness Campaign, stated that kidney failure disease is considered an international health problem and a huge challenge.
According to the Saudi Center for Organ Transplantation’s annual report, the number of kidney failure patients who are on blood purification and peritoneal dialysis exceeds 1200.
Achieving the campaign’s goals will require the use of awareness and education campaigns, along with health initiatives leading to the early diagnosis of chronic kidney disease.
The campaign is focused on spreading awareness through lectures, educational brochures and the exhibition. On the other hand, it has also focused on the educational side by having a clinic to examine kidney disease signs and early diagnosis of kidney disease main causes.
The new centers:
1. Dialysis unit at Wthilan Hospital
2. Dialysis department at Tabala General Hospital
3. Dialysis unit at Aerditin region
4. Dialysis unit at Nemra General Hospital
5. Dialysis center at Damad General Hospital
6. Dialysis center at Skaka General Hospital
7. Dialysis center at Baljurashi General Hospital
8. Dialysis center at Yanbu Hospital
9. Dialysis unit at Al Hariq General Hospital
10. Dialysis center at Ydma General Hospital
11. Dialysis center at Thadiq Hospital
12. Dialysis unit at Al Bjadia General Hospital
13. King Fahad Hospital- Al Baha
14. Arar Central Hospital