The Department of Health (DOH) has raised the alarm over the rising incidence of renal diseases that had steadily gone up in the Filipino population.
Data from the Philippine Renal Disease Registry showed that in 2015 there were 18,603 new patients that started dialysis nationwide.
By December 2015 there were 32,077 patients on dialysis. Kidney disease often cannot be cured, but can be prevented.
To create awareness, the DOH, together with the National Kidney and Transplant Institute (NKTI), commemorate the month of June, as the National Kidney Month by virtue of Proclamation 184 Series 1993.
The monthlong campaign stresses on the importance of kidney care in order to prevent renal diseases, which may lead to kidney failure.
In line with this, the coalition Regalo Organ Donation Advocacy, spearheaded by Maria Corazon Torres Y. Javier Foundation, the Kidney Foundation of the Philippines, Kidney Transplant Association of the Philippines and Novartis Healthcare Philippines are raising awareness on organ donation, with the hope of encouraging men and women to give, care and share, which is to give themselves through organ donation; care enough to sign up and become a willing organ donor; and to share what they have done with their family and friends.
On June 22 Regalo will launch the Tagalog version of the Handbook of Organ and Donor Recipient; the Presentation of the Regalo Organ Donation Commemorative Print Ad; and the testimonial of kidney-transplant recipient Gabrielle Anne Gabaton, among others.
Dr. Romina A. Danguilan, organizing committee head of Regalo, said there are not enough kidney donations, and that there are nearly 40,000 people who are currently undergoing dialysis.
Danguilan, a topnotch NKTI nephrologist and kidney-transplant specialist, noted that individual lifestyle is the primary cause of kidney failure.
Regalo Organ Donation Advocacy has partnered with the NKTI, the leading government tertiary renal referral center that prioritizes kidney transplantation as the best form of renal-replacement therapy, since patients become fully rehabilitated enjoy the highest quality of life and the highest survival.
The DOH said renal diseases, which affect all age groups, are now the ninth leading cause of death in the country and emphasized that “an ounce of prevention is better than a pound of cure”.
Early detection and prevention of kidney failure is vital, and the need to ensure that acute cases are avoided, if possible, as the progression to chronic kidney-disease prevention and early management.
Kidneys have the vital functions to perform, like filtering 200 liters of blood a day and removing 2 liters of toxins and wastes, among others.
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