Around 40,000 die from kidney disease a year
Staff Correspondent
At least 30 to 40 thousand people die from kidney disease in the country each year while around 1.5 crore to 2 crore people are affected by it, said Prof Harun-ur-Rashid, a kidney specialist, at a function in the city yesterday.He was inaugurating an operation theatre (OT) and an intensive care unit (ICU) at the Kidney Foundation, a non-profitable kidney treatment centre, at Dhanmondi. Dutch-Bangla Bank Limited has sponsored the OT and ICU. Besides, a ward named after Robin was also opened at the foundation. Another charity organisation Robin Foundation sponsored it. Presided over by National Professor M R Khan, the function was attended by Yeasin Ali, managing director of Dutch-Bangla Bank, as chief guest. Shafiul Islam Kamal, chairman of Navana Group, Nitun Kunda, chairman of Otobi Limited and Mosaddek Ali, managing director of Unihealth, were present on the occasion. All of them have contributed to Kidney Foundation. Shafiul Islam in the name of his parents bore kidney transplant cost of two poor patients while Otobi provided furniture and Unihealth is giving overall medical support to the foundation. Prof M R Khan said thousands of poor kidney patients would be able to get treatment if affluent civil society members and different organisations come forward with financial assistance. He said there are many profit-making banks in the country, but of them only Dutch-Bangla Bank is doing a tremendous job for humanity. He appealed to all other banks and civil society members to contribute to the welfare of poor people. Prof Khan also proposed to Kidney Foundation to open a Kidney Trust Fund with the contribution of rich people for the benefit of poor kidney patients. While narrating the activities of Kidney Foundation, Prof Harun said since its inception in October 2003, the foundation has so far performed dialysis of about 16,000 patients, while another 8000 patients got medical consultation from specialist doctors and 50,000 people had different tests in its laboratory at reduced charge. Prof Harun, president of Kidney Foundation, said it will hopefully start kidney transplant from next year. The foundation has got two bigas of land from the government in Mirpur to establish a kidney hospital for poor patients, he added. Tiny F Rashid, honorary managing director of the Kidney Foundation, also spoke on the occasion. Later, Yeasin Ali and Prof M R Khan formally opened the OT, ICU and Robin ward at the foundation.
| 
