… Acting Director of Health Services says each pack lasts a month
BY PHUMELELE MKHONTA
MBABANE – It costs the Government of Eswatini E510 000 to give 30 renal patients a month for remote dialysis.
This publication has recently learnt that the Ministry of Health has recently started a programme where it gives their renal patients peritoneal dialysis packs to dialyse at the comfort of their homes.
Currently, 30 patients are in the programme and they receive peritoneal dialysis packs worth E17 000, which last for a month. This means that government spends E510 000 per months for this new programme.
Worth noting is that there are two types of dialysis- the hemo (blood) dialysis which is still done in the hospital three times a week and there is the peritoneal dialysis which government has currently taken into people’s home to decentralise the service.
Confirming the above developments in the Renal Department of the ministry is Acting Director of Health Services Dr Velephi Okello, who said they were excited that the ministry had started decentralising dialysis services.
“Before having this new programme, we started offering dialysis in other health care facilities besides the Mbabane Government Hospital. Dialysis is now offered at Hlatikhulu Government Hospital and Raleigh Fitkin Memorial (RFM) Hospital.
“We are still looking into introducing it to Pigg’s Peak Hospital and re-introducing it to the Lubombo Referral as it was available during the peak of COVID-19,” said the Acting Director of Health Services.
Okello highlighted that nurses were also being trained to administer dialysis as professionals like doctors do and the exercise was successful as there was now less pressure on doctors.
“We are now happy to have the remote peritoneal dialysis which has made life even easier for patients who now have less travelling to do. Yes, they have to administer this dialysis three times a day but the convenience is that it is mobile.
“However, the peritoneal dialysis requires a scrupulously hygienic place and practices and this means that our nurses have to make rounds to our patients homes to assess their surroundings,” said Okello.
When asked what increased the number of patients on dialysis, she said many people were reaching the ageing years meaning more people with NCDs (non-communicable diseases) were coming- meaning more patients needing dialysis service.
