EDITORIAL: Govt’s investment into dialysis centres to be lauded

The government’s efforts to take dialysis centres closer to the people must be lauded.

With over 85% of the Namibian population relying on public health services, investment into the health sector can never be over-emphasised.

We’ve heard of numerous cases of patients having to travel long distances to public dialysis services because they simply cannot afford to go for treatment at private facilities.

The construction of these new facilities will come in handy for many Namibians who are required to attend up to three dialysis sessions every week, with each session taking about four hours. It is understood that private dialysis centres charge anything between N$2 000 and N$4 000 per session.

There are critical shortages of dialysis services within the public health system, a situation which costs the government just over N$100 million annually to foot the bill for patients who receive dialysis at private facilities, official figures from the health ministry show.

The ministry should also pay attention to the increasing number of kidney-related cases and intensify public awareness campaigns to curb this trend. According to the World Health Organisation, Namibia is ranked 73rd globally for deaths resulting from kidney disease.