Malu Kerni
With the changing life style and polluted environment it is observed that there is a sudden increase in the number of patients suffering from renal diseases. It was noted that in our state the incidence of kidney diseases has almost nearly doubled. Eight percent of the population suffers from chronic renal failure, while more than 25 percent have significant risk factors, according to report of SKIMS published in 2012.
Today, if one pays a visit to the hospital; one can find a huge number of patients suffering from kidney diseases. Patients requiring a kidney transplant are referred to SKIMS Srinagar, PGI Chandigarh, AIIMS or Ganga Ram Hospital in New Delhi. Only dialysis is carried out here in the city hospitals.
In our state, the Department of Nephrology is the only tertiary care centre for kidney diseases and it is the only centre where all the known renal replacement therapies like kidney transplantation, hemodialysis (HD) and continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis is provided to the patients of kidney disease.
It is also worth mentioning here that the Department is located at SKIMS Medical College, Bemina and not a single unit in Jammu offers the said facility. In the absence of the facility in Jammu, most of the patients are forced to travel to Srinagar for the surgery.
Moreover, lack of kidney transplant facility in government hospitals in Jammu is forcing hundreds of patients to depend on other states. All patients of kidney transplant are referred outside, causing loss to the state exchequer as well as bringing bad name to the state which claims that health is a priority sector here.
Jammu has been crying for up gradation in medical treatment but all in vain. The concerned authorities are only busy in paper work and making fake promises with the people whenever the demand is raised and nothing on the ground level is being done.
Jammu has a well built Super specialty hospital and GMC&H where a lot of people with kidney failure visit but it is very unfortunate that Kidney transplant facility is not available in any of the hospitals. In such situation patients are left with no option than to go for Dialysis and survive on the mercy of God.
Krishan Jeet Singh Mehta, a retired employee from the Rural Development Department, has been on dialysis for the past 7 years. In spite of his willingness to get rid of regular dialysis and go for a kidney transplant, he cannot do so as the Government Medical College Hospital (GMCH), Jammu lacks this facility. There is nothing wrong in saying that Health Department is playing with the life of the patients suffering from the disease in our State.
Pawan Mehta, KJS Mehta’s son, said, “The primary requirement for a kidney transplant is to have a donor. Even if we get a donor, we cannot get the procedure done here as the main referral hospital does not provide the services. We have an option to go to the Sher-I-Kashmir Institute of Medical Sciences (SKIMS), Srinagar, for the surgery but it is not easy to go to a new place and get the treatment done.”
“Also, it is not easy for a common man to undergo treatment at a private hospital. They charge Rs 3000- Rs 3,500 for a single dialysis and my father undergoes dialysis thrice a week”, said Pawan.
Another patient Radhika Sharma, a resident of Bakshi Nagar shared, “last year, my husband and me both had a kidney transplant done in AIIMS Delhi. Doctors detected a severe kidney infection and advised immediate kidney transplantation and referred us to AIIMS Delhi, for surgery. It is very unfortunate that not a single hospital in Jammu provide the said facility to patients. It is very difficult to manage such a huge amount and then move out of the state to get the treatment.”
“The state government needs to pay attention towards this and should provide the facility in at least one of the hospitals in Jammu so that patients do not suffer due to this. Moreover, it is also sad that SKIMS is having a proper functional unit and is providing treatment and surgery facility to its patients and in Jammu the patients are deprived of the facility,” said Radhika Sharma.
“I would like to question the ministers who claim that we are working for the betterment of people and have done much to provide better health facilities to patients in government hospitals. Are they deaf and dumb? Can’t they see the plight of patients suffering from Kidney diseases? Why such a facility is not provided in any of the hospitals in Jammu? Only slogans and tall claims are not enough the concerned department needs to take the issue seriously and do the needful if it really wants to do something for the betterment of the people”, shared Radhika.
