Emmanuel seeks more awareness on correct diagnosis of renal disease

Akpan Umoh, Uyo

The Akwa Ibom State governor, Mr Udom Emmanuel has urged the Nigerian Association of Nephrology (NAN) to create awareness and sensitise the public on how to get the correct diagnosis and treatment of renal disease.

Emmanuel, who was represented by the Secretary to the State Government, Dr Emmanuel Ekuwem, said this during the 34th Association conference in Uyo.

Our correspondent reports that the theme of the conference is; “Preventing Nephrology: Congenital Anomalies of Kidney and Urinary Tract (CAKUT).”

The governor attributed lack of awareness on renal diseases and improper diagnosis as the reason people perish.

“The number one thing is awareness. People perish because of insufficient knowledge at their disposal. 

“And so, the important component of this conference is to paraphrase the awarenesses, that is, the dos and don’ts that are here in this professional document in a layman’s language.

“In the language that somebody on the street will understand, adapt or adopt the prescriptions and the piece of advice that you provide.

“In the world of ICT, text messages to keep the person who has been discharged on the knowledge or what he or she should be doing. 

“Post-discharge from hospitals will go a long way to help Akwa Ibomites and other Nigerians to escape from the diseases that are associated with malfunctioning of the kidney,” Emmanuel said.

He commended the association for choosing the states for the 2022 conference and urged them to take advantage of the beautiful ambiance to visit other parts of the state to see how conducive it is for investments.

In his remarks, the Akwa Ibom Commissioner for Health, Prof. Augustine Umoh, said that the State Government had concluded plans to set up a task force to get rid of adulterated drugs in the state.

Umoh commended the effort of the governor in providing medical facilities and paying attention to those who are affected with renal diseases.

He pledged that the Akwa Ibom state government and the Ministry of Health were willing to partner with Nephrologists to prevent renal diseases plaguing the masses.

Earlier in his welcome remarks, Prof. Fatiu Arogundade, President of Nigerian Association of Nephrology said there was a need to aggressively mount preventive measures on congenital anomalies of the kidney and urinary tract as the cost of treatment was very expensive.

Arogundade said that congenital anomalies of the kidney and the urinary tract were another major cause of kidney disease, particularly in children.

He said that the menace of oil exploration and its impact on kidney health needs to be further explored to be able to control and manage the ailment.

“In developing countries, these treatment modalities are either unaffordable or unavailable hence inaccessible to the majority of patients.

“Consequently, the only realistic strategy is prevention which will include; primordial primary, secondary and tertiary,” Arogundade said.

He added that the focus of the conference was to examine the peculiarities and challenges faced by Nephrology specialists and other personnel, who have engaged themselves in providing Nephrology care in the country.