World Kidney Day being observed in Nepal

[okarol]

World Kidney Day being observed in Nepal

With the slogan, "Are your Kidneys Ok?" , the World Kidney Day is being observed in Nepal Thursday by organizing various programs including awareness rallies and interactions.

The day is observed every second Thursday of March throughout the world amidst various programmes to raise awareness about chronic kidney disease.

The aim of celebrating the day is to increase awareness of chronic kidney disease and its associated cardiovascular morbidity and mortality and to draw attention to the urgent global need for early detection and prevention of chronic kidney disease.

According to the National Kidney Treatment Center in Kathmandu, some 2.7 million people in Nepal suffer from one or other form of kidney disease and 2,700 new kidney patients are added to this total each year. However, there are only 12 doctors who specialize in treating this disease in Nepal.

So Nepalese people mostly travel to India to get treatment for any kidney related ailment including undergoing crucial kidney transplant operations.

However, Tribhuvan University Teaching Hospital and Bir Hospital in Kathmandu have already transplanted kidneys successfully in Nepal. It costs around Rs 500,000 for kidney transplantation in Nepal.

Doctors say that eating food rich in fiber (like vegetables and fruits) but less in fat and sugar go a long way in lessening chances of a person developing kidney problems.

They also suggest regular exercises and check up of the kidneys.

Chronic kidney disease and other major chronic non-communicable diseases will claim the lives of 36 million people by the year 2015, reports said.

nepalnews.com mar 12 09

http://www.nepalnews.com/archive/2009/mar/mar12/news06.php

[monrein]

I spent about 6 weeks in Nepal in 1975 and just loved it.  We went trekking in the Himalayas (not there's some serious exercise), swimming in waterfall pools and dodging land leeches that tried to get through our boot laces and attach themselves to us.  Kathmandu is also the hepatitis A capital of the world so it was very important to be careful about what we ate and drank.  Very lovely and kind people.