Police Hospital marks World Kidney Day - Administration to extend dialysis services to public

The Ghana Police Service has indicated its intention to extend services at the Dialysis Centre of the Police Hospital to the public. This is to enable the Police Administration to contribute towards the management of kidney disease which is increasing astronomically in the country.

Speaking at this year’s World Kidney Day celebration held at the Police Hospital in Accra yesterday, the Inspector General of Police (IGP), Mr David Asante-Apeatu, said  5,272 dialysis procedures were carried out at the centre between 2015 and 2016 and the number was increasing on a daily basis.

The theme for the celebration is: “Kidney disease and obesity; Healthy lifestyle for healthy kidneys.” The Police Hospital and Health Education on Wheels, a non-governmental organisation, are at the forefront of this year’s event in Ghana.

Established in April 2011 as a result of effective partnership and collaboration between the Police Service and the Health Education on Wheels, the Dialysis Centre of the Police Hospital is the second largest facility in the country.

Kidney disease

Mr Asante-Apeatu said the day, celebrated globally, was to create awareness and sensitise the public to the importance of  the kidneys to the overall wellbeing of every human being.

“In line with the vision of the Ghana Police Service, to be a world-class police service capable of delivering planned, democratic, protective and peaceful services up to the standards of international best practice, the Police Hospital Dialysis Centre will conduct free screening for uniformed personnel, their dependants, as well as members of the general public,” he said.

The IGP said the gesture was to promote awareness and ensure that individuals adopted periodic voluntary health checks which were a condition to promote healthy lifestyles.

He said globally it was estimated that about one out of 10 people had some form of kidney damage, and it was further observed that about a third of those diagnosed with chronic kidney disease suffered from diabetes or high blood pressure or both.

Dialysis

Mr Asante-Apeatu said those two conditions were exacerbated if one was obese or overweight and the trend in Ghana indicated that 28 per cent of men and 38 per cent of women were overweight and they would have to work extra hard to meet the demands of increased body weight.

He said if chronic kidney disease was not detected early enough, the patient might progress to renal failure which required either dialysis or kidney replacement and it was against that threat that the public had been advised to keep fit.

In a speech read on his behalf, the Minister of Health, Mr Kwaku Agyemang Manu, said all over the world, millions of people were unaware that they were at risk of developing kidney disease because it progressed silently without major symptoms.

Mr David Asante Apeatu, Inspector General of Police (IGP) (left), in an interaction with Nii Okwei Kinka Dowuona VI (right), Chief of Osu. Picture: BENEDICT OBUOBI

Chronic diseases

Mr Manu said chronic diseases could develop at any age, stating that high blood pressure and diabetes were the most common causes of kidney diseases.

According to him, a study conducted in Accra alone indicated that 50 per cent of people with hypertension and diabetes had kidney problems.

He said early detection of kidney disease could lead to treatment options that could help one manage the health of their kidneys and reduce the risk of complications.

The minister commended the collaboration between Health Education on Wheels and the Ghana Police Service for establishing a dialysis centre to manage end —  stage kidney failure and to embark on health education and screening programmes.

For her part, Dr Sylvia Annie, a member of Health Education on Wheels, said the centre had witnessed a yearly increase in patient attendance.

Some members of staff of the Police Hopital at the celebration.