KARACHI: The Vice-Chancellor of the DOW University of Health Sciences, Prof Mohammed Saeed Quraishy, said that the rate of kidney diseases is increasing rapidly. If any preventive methods are not taken immediately, then it could increase the death rate in the country. The treatment of kidney problems is painful while prevention is much easier.
“There have been 131 renal transplants and 2500 Dialysis procedures at the Dow University till date. There are expert laparoscopic and endoscopic surgeons available to deal with these surgeries. We are extending our efforts to keep up with the latest technology to make our services better in the future”.
He stated this while speaking at the OPD Lecture Hall of Dow University Hospital after the awareness walk to celebrate World Kidney Day. The seminar was also addressed by Prof Rashid Bin Hamid, Dr Mohammad Tasadduq Khan, Dr Hamid Mithani and Dietician, Hina Badar.
Prof Saeed Quraishy added that the awareness walk and seminar is aimed at creating awareness concerning the importance of kidney related problems. Three key risk factors cause kidney diseases namely chronic complications of diabetes, hypertension and kidney stones, which are caused due to an imbalanced diet, and no physical activity, like exercise.
Chief Renal Transplant Surgeon, Dr Rashid Bin Hamid revealed that kidney disease is the sixth fastest growing cause of death. Globally, 10% of the population is estimated to be suffering from kidney diseases due to various reasons, and 2.4 million of them are estimated to die annually.
In the case of kidney failure, transplantation is the only way out of death, but unfortunately, transplantation is quite expensive. The Dow University of Health Sciences provides community basis transplantation on significantly low rates, but still, most of the people cannot afford it.
Other kidney specialists said that 50% of urological surgeries are conducted because of kidney stone which is increasing at an alarming rate in Pakistan, India, and Thailand. This is due to the high temperature, imbalanced diet, and environment. If a kidney stone forms once in a year, there is a 30% chance that it will form again.
The DUHS conducts endoscopic surgery for the treatment of kidney stones. Usually, people use to ignore such conditions and seek treatment from clinics and other herbal therapies. Therefore, it is essential to see a kidney specialist for early treatment before the disease gets worse.
The Dow University Hospital is renowned for kidney treatment in Pakistan. People suffering from kidney related problems must tell their doctor about any smoking habits or alcohol intake as people usually hesitate to reveal these details to their doctors.
Before the seminar, the participants marched from the main gate of the Dow University Hospital to the main OPD Block under the supervision of the Vice-Chancellor, Prof Saeed Quraishy.