Minister raises alarm on renal disease
Tsaone Basimanebotlhe | Tuesday March 14, 2023 06:00
Speaking at the commemoration of World Kidney Day in Gaborone recently, Lelatisitswe said the theme for this year calls for people to be aware of their kidney health and always seek appropriate health information about their kidneys.
This is because if detected early, chronic kidney diseases can be treated, thereby reducing complications and the growing burden of deaths and disabilities from chronic renal and cardiovascular disease, he said. He indicated that globally, eight to 10% of the adult population has some form of kidney damage. The minister further said, as a result, millions of people die prematurely of complications related to chronic kidney diseases every year.
He said it has to be noted that Botswana is not exempted from this unfortunate reality. “In 2019, the WHO reported that kidney diseases have risen from the world’s 13th leading cause of mortality to the current 10th position.
This translated to the mortality rate increasing from 813,000 in 2000 to 1.3 million deaths in 2019. Indeed this is a worrying trend given that Non-Communicable Diseases (NCD) like hypertension and diabetes are the leading causes of chronic kidney disease. These diseases remain a serious concern in our country,” he said. In addition, he said he is informed that the Princess Marina Hospital, the largest tertiary centre, has over 1,500 renal clients seen every year and this number is most likely going to increase with the rising burden of NCDs.
He further said of these more than 300 patients with chronic kidney disease require some form of dialysis. He continued: “These numbers may not be reflective of the true picture in the country given our collaborative care plan with the private sector whose numbers are not included here.” He also urged those who already have the disease, to abide by their doctors’ instructions, take treatment as prescribed and incessantly follow their approved diet. However, he said his ministry has several interventions geared towards ensuring a sustained response, therefore, they had launched the Botswana Multi-Sectoral Strategy for preventing and controlling NCDs.
“This strategy provided the roadmap for the ministry and other stakeholders on the effective interventions that are promotive, curative and rehabilitative. The strategy emphasises the importance of behavioural change and community participation for disease prevention,” he stated.