THE government, in keeping with its policy of reaching out to vulnerable groups in Guyana, has made available a significant sum of money to assist hemodialysis patients. Seventy-nine such patients have recently benefited from financial support of $600,000 each, amounting to an initial payment of $47 million. Dialysis is the process of removing excess water, dilutes and toxins from the blood in people whose kidneys can no longer perform these functions naturally. It is a relatively new medical intervention with the first such treatment successfully done in 1943.

This is indeed a noble gesture on the part of the government which has been putting the health and well-being of the Guyanese people high on its social agenda.

Dialysis treatment is expensive and many patients are financially challenged to meet the cost of such treatments.

The financial assistance is therefore most welcome by patients, especially given the fact that not all patients are covered by national insurance. Even those who are covered by the National Insurance Scheme (NIS) require additional assistance to meet the full cost of the treatment. As one patient who understandably was full in praise of the government pointed out, “It was very rough without the assistance, because when I finish paying for the dialysis, I don’t have no money to spend to buy groceries and so for the home.”

A sum of $180M has been allocated in the 2022 National Budget to provide support to persons in need of dialysis treatment, and according to Health Minister Dr Frank Anthony, the approach by the government is not a one-off move. In fact, such assistance will now be factored into future budgetary allocations.

“It became a new measure in the new budget. This means that every year you will be getting $600,000 to assist you with paying for your dialysis sessions.”

This is music to the ears of dialysis patients, many of whom are struggling to come up with the money to pay for the treatment sessions which, in most cases, have to be done three times per week.

In addition to providing financial assistance to dialysis patients, the government has also been working with dialysis providers to ensure that the required treatment protocols are adequately followed. In partnership with the Pan-American Health Organisation (PAHO), a preliminary assessment was recently conducted by a nephrologist from Argentina, who examined all dialysis facilities in the country, with another expected in the country shortly.

According to Dr Anthony, “The reason why we are doing that is because we want to make sure that when patients go to any one of these dialysis centres, you can go there with the confidence that they are meeting certain international standards.”

Guyana has come a far way in terms of dialysis treatment. And according to Minister Anthony, plans are in place to have such treatments in other regions of Guyana. In fact, the Ministry of Health is already partnering with a number of service providers to have such services available in New Amsterdam, Linden and Essequibo.

This is a step in the right direction for those residing in rural communities and also for overseas-based Guyanese and tourists wishing to visit the country and having need to access such services.

In addition to providing assistance to dialysis treatment, government is also putting in place the necessary mechanisms to offer blood tests free of cost. According to the Health Minister, the government will be procuring erythropoietin, which is a special medication for patients with kidney problems. The medication will be provided free of cost to patients.

While much progress has been made in terms of dialysis care and treatment, the mere fact of being diagnosed with renal failure can be traumatic. This is why there is so much merit in the saying that ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.’ It is an established fact that diabetes and diabetes-related illnesses, including renal failure, are to a large extent the result of lifestyle behavioural patterns, which, among other factors, include unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise.

The PPP/C administration must be commended for placing the health and well-being of the Guyanese people as a top national priority. This financial support to dialysis patients is one of several interventions by the current administration to render assistance to vulnerable individuals and groups in our society.