In both the developed and developing worlds people who need dialysis treatment as a result of renal problems are finding it increasingly difficult because of prohibitive costs. In the case of developing countries, the situation is worsened by the fact that such specialist medical service is hardly available. Consequently, large numbers of people across the globe simply have to live with their problems until they die.
Rita Rubin, in her USA TODAY article: “Dialysis treatment in USA: High costs, high death rates”, pointed out: “Although the USA spends more per dialysis patient than other countries, that does not result in higher survival rates or even, many argue, a better quality of life.
“The standard of care is really inappropriate,” says Brenda Kurnik, Lustman’s doctor, who practises in Marlton, N.J. “Basically, it prevents people from dying, and that’s about all it does.
“So why doesn’t the USA do better? Many blame Medicare’s End Stage Renal Disease Programme. Launched in 1973, it’s the only federal programme that entitles people of all ages to health-care coverage on the basis of a single diagnosis: chronic kidney failure. By paying for life-saving care for hundreds of thousands of Americans, the programme is a testament to what health insurance reform might achieve if Congress were to adopt it.
“But it also may be a cautionary tale: Its cost has far exceeded initial projections, and some doctors and other analysts question whether Medicare gets its money’s worth and whether patients get the best treatment. Less than one-quarter of dialysis patients ages 18 to 54 are well enough to work or go to school”
In 2007, Medicare spent $8.6 billion on the treatment and medications of dialysis patients, from babies to the elderly, according to the Medicare Payment Advisory Commission’s March report to Congress.
“In addition, Medicare pays billions each year for the hospitalization of dialysis patients. Although they are younger on average than most Medicare beneficiaries, who must be 65 to qualify for coverage, “this is an incredibly sick population,” says epidemiologist Paul Eggers of the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases. Such patients, Eggers says, enter the hospital six times more often than Medicare beneficiaries who don’t have chronic kidney failure.
“Despite the costs, a substantial proportion of dialysis patients die every year. In 2006, 20.1% of U.S. dialysis patients died, most often of heart disease or infections. In Japan, the death rate was about half that; Australia’s rate was halfway between the USA’s and Japan’s.”
Here in Guyana, like elsewhere, the cost of dialysis is beyond the poor but efforts are being made by the Ministry of Health to make it affordable but of course this cannot happen overnight.
However, on a most welcome note a low-cost dialysis centre has been recently established at Annandale, East Coast Demrara through a private initiative.
The Doobay Dialysis Centre is offering dialysis treatment at an incredibly low fee of $15, 000 per session. This will certainly help many more people to get their required treatment because of this affordable fee. And those who pioneered this venture should receive full commendation.
This wonderful gesture also shows that we have people within our country who are not just being propelled by profiteering but by humanitarian principles. We certainly need such people in larger numbers.
The Centre, built at a cost of G$25M, with a mandate to provide dialysis to persons in need of it at an affordable cost, the registered non-profit organisation, pioneered by Dr. Ram Doobay and Vic Oudit and others, is a genuine collaboration between Canadian and Guyanese organisations and people who have made generous donations.
One would hope that this excellent humanitarian venture would inspire others to carry out similar ones in other parts of the country because our geographic logistical problems make it difficult for people to travel from remote areas to seek specialist medical services.
In this regard, one of the pioneers of the venture Mr. Vic Oditt is optimistic that  dialysis centres are going to be replicated throughout Guyana.