WORLD KIDNEY DAY. Dialysis patients, barangay health workers, and doctors participate in Zumba dancing as part of the World Kidney Day awareness campaign on Thursday afternoon (March 9, 2023) at SM City Mall in Davao City. Free albuminuria screening and blood pressure checking and other medical services are offered during the event. (PNA photo by Robinson Niñal Jr)
DAVAO CITY – A group of nephrologists here has reiterated the need to push for more information and awareness about chronic kidney disease (CKD).
This came as the city continues to rank third in the country with the most number of kidney diseases since 2017, according to Dr. Ma. Theresa Bad-ang, nephrologist and head of the Southern Philippines Medical Center - Human Advocate and Retrieval Effort.
"In this city and the rest of Davao Region, we have some 2,400 individuals on dialysis treatment,” said Bad-ang in an interview with reporters during the World Kidney Day commemoration Thursday afternoon.
“We need to prevent dialysis and World Kidney Day is celebrated to further raise awareness and avoid it to happen to us," Bad-ang said.
Another nephrologist, Dr. Floin Quibo Galvadores, described the city's kidney disease cases as "alarming. It is very important to spread awareness about CKD especially here in Davao City."
With the increasing cases of patients undergoing dialysis treatment, Galvadores said they noticed the rising number of dialysis centers sprouting in this city.
"We should not be happy with the existence of these dialysis centers as we have to aim that the cases would go down. It should not become a sort of business and cases should not increase," she said.
The group also urged the public to undergo screening especially if they have a family history of high blood pressure, diabetes, and kidney failure. (PNA)
