The Borno state government is to soon commission an ultra-modern
kidney centre where renal patients will be treated freely, Governor
Kashim Shettima has said.
The governor made this announcement Monday evening when he paid a
working visit to the state owned specialist hospital, Maiduguri to
inspect various facility upgrading projects going on there.
There about 25 million Nigerians, which is about 13.9 per cent of the
180 million people, that currently suffer renal failure – a medical
condition where the kidney can no longer work except with dialysis or
kidney transplant.
On the average, experts say a patient with renal problem needs about
N400, 000 to carry out dialysis monthly.
Governor Shettima, during his visit to the hospital, was informed by
the state’s chief medical director that the ultra-modern kidney centre
has 10 digital dialysis machine that is second to none in the whole of
North east Nigeria.
While being taken round the new complex for the kidney centre, an
excited Shettima insisted that the management of the hospital should
hasten up the completion of the project which officials said was at 95
per cent stage of completion.
Shettima directed that two renowned medical personnel in the state who
were respected experts in the field of kidney treatment should be
brought back from retirement to give further hands-on training to
nurses currently being trained on managing the new machines.
“This facility that we have inspected this evening was donated by the
chief executive of Matrix Energy, Abdulkabir Aliyu, who built and
equipped the entire facility as the corporate social responsibility of
his organization,” said Shettima.
‘‘It only cost us the sum of N220 million to put the final touches to
make it ready and the contractors did an absolutely wonderful job as
we have seen.
“The equipment here are first of their kind in the whole of the
nation. And each of the dialysis machines is 1.5 tetra while the two
that are in the almighty Teaching Hospital Maiduguri are of 0.2
models. Ours are digital state of the earth equipment.
“In the years to come, the people of Borno and indeed the North-east
would have a cause to smile because the kidney centre will be run free
of charge, the government is going to bear the cost of all the
treatments and services provided for patients.
“People will not be charged a dime to have access to the facility
because many of our people are facing challenges with their kidney,
and even in the best of times we are the poorest of the poor; so
charging for such treatments won’t be fair.’’
Kidney or renal failure, according to 2018 statistics of the Nigerian
Association of Nephrology, accounts for the 18, 000 Nigerians that
need Dialysis annually.
