Renal Satellite Units: a step to reduce the miseries of dialysis patients in the poverty-afflicted Pakistani population

Excerpt

Chronic Kidney Diseases have been recognized as a leading health problem, especially in middle and lower-income countries. Pakistan ranks eighth in the world in kidney diseases, with more than 17 million affected individuals, and the count continues to rise [1]. Most kidney patients in Pakistan are classified as having end-stage kidney disease (ESKD) and depend on hemodialysis to survive. According to a population-based study, the prevalence of ESKD is 100 cases per million, which corresponds to roughly 22,000 new dialysis patients a year [2]. ESKD patients are cared for primarily within Main Renal Units (MRUs) housed within large-scale, centrally placed hospitals. Nephrologists supervise the provision of dialysis to both inpatients and outpatients in such centers. Renal Satellite Units (RSUs) supplement these hospital-based centers in larger cities such as Karachi. RSUs are smaller, linked to an MRU, and have limited dialysis facilities that serve only outpatients and are monitored by trained physicians and nurses. …