Dak Lak: Medical facilities cannot meet the needs of patients on dialysis

The number of patients receiving dialysis at Dak Lak units only accounts for about 30-50% of patients with chronic kidney failure. (Photo: Nguyen Dung/VNA)

In Dak Lak, the number of people suffering from kidney diseases and having to undergo dialysis is increasing, while the machines and human resources are still facing many difficulties and shortages, causing an overload situation.

Dialysis patients are getting younger and younger.

According to statistics, Dak Lak province currently has about 550 cases of chronic kidney failure. If in the past, chronic kidney failure only appeared in people over 60 years old, now the rate of young people with the disease tends to increase, becoming a burden for families and society.

Although only 23 years old, Truong Thuy Au Sang (born in 2001, in Buon Ma Thuot city, Dak Lak province) has been living with kidney failure for more than a year. Sang said that as soon as she had symptoms of sore throat and difficulty breathing, she went to Gia Dinh General Hospital ( Ho Chi Minh City) for a check-up.

After performing the tests, the results showed that he had kidney failure (stage 5). After 4 months of dialysis in Ho Chi Minh City, Sang returned to his hometown to continue dialysis at Thien Hanh General Hospital with a frequency of 3 times/week.

Similarly, the case of Mr. Y Khoi Du (born in 1994, in Lak district, Dak Lak province) was also discovered to have end-stage chronic kidney failure more than a year ago.

Mr. Y Khoi Du shared that he used to be the breadwinner of the family and was in good health. However, more than a year ago, he felt tired, had insomnia, was pale, and nauseous, so he went to the Central Highlands General Hospital for a checkup and was diagnosed with the disease. Due to kidney failure, his health declined and he could only stay home to cook for his family.

The burden of “food, clothing, rice, money” depends entirely on the wife who has to support her husband and two young children. His family is a poor household and now it is even more difficult.

“When I heard the news of my illness, I couldn’t tell my wife. I was devastated because I no longer had the strength to take care of my wife and children. Currently, my wife earns 200,000 VND a day, which is just enough to cover the travel expenses for her husband’s dialysis three times a week,” said Y Khoi Du.

At the Central Highlands General Hospital, there are currently about 200 patients with kidney failure requiring dialysis; of which, about 35 are between the ages of 18 and 35 (accounting for about 17.5%), the youngest patient is only 16 years old.

According to Dr. Hoang Thi Thuy Tien, Department of Intensive Care and Anti-Poison, Central Highlands General Hospital, kidney disease used to be common in the elderly. However, recently, the disease can be found in young people (previously 6%, now increased to 15%).

The reason is that nowadays, the frequency of diabetes and high blood pressure is increasing, so the subjects are getting younger. In addition, due to people's sedentary lifestyle, little physical activity, overuse of fast food, eating a lot of protein, fat, fried food... causing overweight and obesity.

Some people have a lifestyle of staying up late, drinking alcohol, beer, and smoking a lot, causing metabolic diseases to increase, leading to an increase in the rate of kidney failure patients.

To prevent kidney failure, Dr. Hoang Thi Thuy Tien recommends that people should exercise regularly for an average of 20 minutes/day; drink enough 2 liters of water/day; stop smoking to delay the progression of end-stage kidney disease (if they already have kidney disease). In addition, people should regularly check and control blood sugar, blood pressure, and avoid using drugs on their own...

There are still many difficulties.

In Dak Lak province, there are three public artificial kidney units: the Central Highlands General Hospital, Buon Ma Thuot City General Hospital and Buon Ho Town General Hospital.

The locality currently has about 550 cases of chronic kidney failure. There are many patients, great demand but the hospitals have limited equipment.

This makes treatment difficult. According to statistics, the total number of patients receiving dialysis at the units is only about 30-50% of the number of patients with chronic kidney failure. There are still many people waiting for dialysis and kidney transplants.

Ms. Vo Thi Minh (28 years old), in Cu M'Gar district, Dak Lak province, has lived with kidney failure for 5 years. (Photo: Nguyen Dung/VNA)

At the Central Highlands General Hospital, there are currently 24 dialysis machines, divided into 4 shifts/day. Each shift runs 22 cycles of patients and 1-3 cycles of emergency artificial kidney dialysis patients. The number of patients in need of artificial kidney dialysis is very high, with an estimated registration of nearly 600 cases.

Each patient on dialysis must undergo dialysis 2-3 times per week. Due to the limited number of machines, the hospital can only accommodate a maximum of 200 patients. The number of dialysis sessions to meet the needs of patients is still low, averaging 1-3 times per week, the rest cannot accommodate.

Dr. Hoang Thi Thuy Tien said that chronic kidney disease is divided into 5 stages, from stage 1-4, doctors will delay treatment to slow down the progression leading to end-stage kidney failure. When the patient enters stage 5 (the final stage), renal replacement therapy is needed. Currently, there are three alternative treatment methods: kidney transplantation, hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis.

“The hospital’s machines cannot meet the needs of patients with end-stage renal failure who need kidney replacement treatment by artificial kidney dialysis. In some cases, if they can afford it, patients go to private hospitals for dialysis. In cases where they cannot afford it, patients do not receive kidney replacement treatment and accept it,” Dr. Hoang Thi Thuy Tien informed.

At the end of 2023, Thien Hanh General Hospital established an artificial kidney unit. This is the first private hospital in Dak Lak to provide artificial kidney dialysis for people. According to Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha, the artificial kidney unit was opened with the aim of reducing the overload of periodic kidney dialysis in Dak Lak and neighboring provinces.

Currently, the hospital has 19 machines, running 3 shifts/day, serving 90 dialysis patients. Each day, about 40 patients are treated. The number of patients is constantly overloaded, so the artificial kidney unit has repeatedly requested more machines to meet the needs of patients, while the number of patients waiting for dialysis is still very large.

A kidney failure patient undergoes dialysis at the Central Highlands General Hospital. (Photo: Nguyen Dung/VNA)

According to Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha, the current staff at the artificial kidney unit is 6 doctors and 7 nurses. The number of patients has increased, so the staff is overloaded. The hospital must send medical staff to further study to supplement the lack of resources and continue to improve their knowledge and skills.

In order to balance the interests of patients and the hospital's capabilities, the unit builds a cost table so that patients can feel secure in paying according to their ability. However, it is really not possible to meet all patients in the province.

To support disadvantaged patients, the hospital balances and reduces costs for patients. For patients with insurance, more than 50% is covered. This is the hospital's humanitarian program, Dr. Le Thi Thu Ha informed.

In the case of Ms. Dao Thi Tiep (born in 1954, in Krong Nang, Dak Lak province) who has had kidney disease for 20 years, she has to regularly go to Ho Chi Minh City for examination and treatment.

Since the beginning of 2024, her illness has progressed to end-stage renal failure and she has had to undergo dialysis. Her family is poor and has financial difficulties. The frequent travel back and forth from Dak Lak to Ho Chi Minh City has exhausted her health and spirit, so she decided to return to her hometown to continue dialysis at Thien Hanh General Hospital.

The Central Highlands General Hospital currently has 24 dialysis machines, divided into four shifts per day. (Photo: Nguyen Dung/VNA)

"Insurance covers 50%, dialysis 3 times/week, each month costs more than 7 million VND. My family is poor, we are old and cannot make money, so we have to sell land and fields for dialysis, we just have to see what happens," Ms. Dao Thi Tiep shared.

Faced with the great and necessary needs of the people, recently, the Department of Health of Dak Lak province has compiled the opinions of the Department of Planning and Investment of the province and the Department of Finance of the province to send to the Provincial People's Committee to request financial support to invest in hematology equipment for blood transfusion and artificial kidney in the locality.

The Department of Health drafted a document of the Provincial People's Committee to send to the agencies of the Ministry of Planning and Investment, the Ministry of Health, the National Assembly's Ethnic Council and the Ethnic Committee on requesting support from the urgent reserve fund in the Government's 2024-2025 plan to invest in equipment for the Hematology and Blood Transfusion Center and artificial kidney units for the locality with a total amount of more than 85 billion VND, including purchasing an electrochemiluminescent immunoassay system and an automatic extraction and Real Time PCR machine; equipping 50 more artificial kidney machines, 1 RO system and developing 4 artificial kidney units in 4 directions of the province./.

Source: https://www.vietnamplus.vn/dak-lak-cac-co-so-y-te-khong-dap-ung-du-nhu-cau-benh-nhan-chay-than-nhan-tao-post976857.vnp