March 24, 2024

Unorthodox medications such as the popular Agbo (local herbal mixture being served as a drink) have been identified as one of the major causes of the rising incidents of kidney failure in Nigeria.

Currently about 17 million Nigerians have various stages of kidney disease. Prevalence of Cyclin-dependent kinases (CDKs) documented in developing and developed countries range from 2.5 percent to as high as 35.8percent in the elderly population.

Speaking recently in a public lecture in Lagos to mark the World Kidney Day, Dr. Ebun Bamgboye, Clinical Director at St. Nicholas Hospital warned that rather than cure or control the ailment that unorthodox medication if anything is more likely to aggravate the ailment.

“Science has proved that Agbo, herbal medications, supplements of different types rather add to a patients problems. There are people that would not take anything except herbal medications but I can tell you from the strength of being a practitioner who sees patients, that very often we have found that individuals who have used these herbal medications are the ones that end up with kidney failure,” he said.

“So if you already have diabetes or hypertension, your kidney is already failing and you cannot use unorthodox medications”. “Herbal supplement, Agbos, ginkgo, bilo, Echinacea etcetera, the reality is that medicine has said that none of them work. Do not use anything that is not prescribed by the doctor.”

Apart from herbal medications, Diabetes mellitus, Hypertension and glomerulonephritis were also fingered as other issues that can trigger kidney ailments. Speaking in the Public lecture with the theme ‘Kidney Health for All: Challenges to its actualisation in Nigeria’ organised by the Kidney Foundation for Africa, Dr. Bamgboye noted that government’s intervention can greatly impact positively to arrest the increasing spread of kidney ailments in Nigeria.

He called on the federal government to Enact Bill to encourage deceased donors. “Government should enact a Bill that will encourage people and the bereaved to donate their organs and those of their dead relatives in order to save lives and enhance the quality of lives of the living.”

He stated that the government needs to do more in order to assist the rising number of people with kidney ailments in the country.

Bamgboye regretted that many died with organs that can be used to save other people. “If those organs are utilised to save the lives of people with kidney failure, you will find that the number of people who eventually get transplants will be much more.

“The Bill is meant at the end of the day, to encourage an improvement in our statistics as regards kidney transplant because it would enable us to start disease donor or cadaveric kidney transplant,” he said.

Advertisement

Commending the Lagos state government he noted “there is a bill to that effect currently with the State House of Assembly. The hope is that they will accelerate its hearing and go ahead and enact the bill and hopefully pass it to the governor for consent.”

Mr. Clinton Peters, the President Kidney Foundation for Africa pointed out that Kidney disease was becoming an epidemic in Nigeria.

He said that the government should intervene by creating awareness, making accessibility to the drugs, dialysis possible. “Majority of the consumables used in treating and managing this ailment are imported. Government should give relief to pharmaceutical organisations involved in importing these expensive materials.”

He also advised people to stop using bleaching cream as it does not only cause cancer but also causes kidney failures. He appealed to organisations and well-meaning Nigerians to make donations towards alleviating the financial burdens of people with kidney challenges.

While corroborating what Bamgboye said, President of the Healthcare Federation of Nigeria, Dr. Pamela Ajayi, noted that there is still so much government needs to do in the health sector. “There should be no duty paid on life saving drugs. Currently, we are trying to push those concessions on healthcare goods so that the cost of treating kidney issues and other ailments will be reduced.”

She called for the enhancement of the health insurance schemes, access to consumables for kidney patients. “I mean access to drugs, Dialysis centers. More research should be done on this. For instance we have more incidence of kidney related issues in the northern part of Nigeria, we should find out why it is so.

“Government involvement must be much more to bring the incidence of kidney ailment low in Nigeria. Why should people pay duty on healthcare products? Whatever duty they pay transcends to the patients. The patients pay the duty when they buy drugs.”

“There are about 17million Nigerians in various stages of kidney failure,” lamented, Cynthia Ajah, MD, Edge Pharmaceuticals limited that specialises in the post treatment of patients that had received kidney transplant.”

Meanwhile the First Lady of Lagos State, Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu said that one of the challenges to actualisation of kidney health for all is lack of awareness. “The awareness aspect is critical as people must be made to come to terms with the fact that they are responsible for their health and wellbeing.”

The First Lady who was represented by Dr. Johnson said “since prevention is better than cure, we need to educate the people to embrace a healthy lifestyle. Much emphasis must also be made on reducing the risk factors which include diabetes, high blood pressure, smoking, and obesity.”

Commending the organisers of the programme, for their laudable work of creating the awareness of this disease and supporting post-transplant patients with the very expensive drugs, she called on all the stakeholders to support the government in its quest to improve the healthcare system.

-agencies