Jakarta –
Singapore reports a significant increase in cases of kidney failure. The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) registers at least six additional patients daily with a diagnosis of this disease.
It is likely that the number of people with chronic kidney disease is much higher than reported. The estimate is even called for 300 thousand people.
“If there are no changes, there may not be enough dialysis places for new patients,” the NKF said.
Experts call for the importance of proper and timely early screening to prevent chronic kidney disease from progressing into kidney failure. Quote from Channel News Asia: Every day at 11 am local time, the largest kidney center in Singapore is reported to be busy, as if it is going through a “third war”.
Medical staff and team go from patient to patient to help with dialysis. While outside the room, 40 patients lined up to get their turn.
This was not the case before. Four years ago, when Shantini, one of the medical staff, first started working at the test site, the room was only half full. Today, almost all the places in the dialysis center of the National Kidney Fund (NKF) are occupied.
“Every month, NKF receives about 100 new applications for dialysis centers, which is almost double what it was five years ago,” said NKF medical director Jason Chu.
Government reports show that the incidence of kidney failure in Singapore is like an iceberg phenomenon at present. Only 9,000 of them have been diagnosed, while more than 300,000 people with chronic kidney disease (CKD) may experience the disease.
“These are just reported cases. For every 10 diagnoses, about five to seven people are unaware of their condition,” said Yeo Xi Cheng, head of kidney medicine at Tan Tok Seng Hospital (TTSH).
“This means that another 200,000 people can walk without knowing they have kidney problems. If no action is taken, CKD will develop into kidney failure,” he said.
“The implication is that in the next few years, if nothing changes, there will be no room for new patients in dialysis or dialysis centers,” Yeoh said.
Watch the video “Symptoms faced by patients with chronic kidney disease“
(naf/out)