Medical brain drain leaves only 250 kidney specialists to serve 211m population
By Jeph Ajobaju, Chief Copy Editor
Mass exodus of medical workers has left Nigeria with only 250 kidney specialists to serve a population of 211 million, which boils down to a specialist/patient ratio of 1:844,000.
Ade Faponle, a consultant nephrologist at Zenith Medical and Kidney Centre in Abuja, said there are only 250 specialists in chronic kidney disease (CKD) and warned they are not enough for the growing number of Nigerians with the disease.
He made the point in a paper he presented in Ilorin at the 2022 Scientific Conference and Annual General Meeting of the Association of Resident Doctors, University of Ilorin (ARD-UITH) branch.
He lamented the insufficient number of CKD specialists for a disease rated as the fifth common causes of death worldwide, leading to a global health crisis.
“About 1/8th of the world population has a kidney disorder. One in every five men and one in every four women have CKD,” Faponle said.
He described CKD as a slow and progressive loss of kidney function over several years which may eventually cause kidney failure.
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Importance of kidneys
Faponle underscored the importance of kidneys which carry out essential functions of removing toxins and bad products from the body.
“They are considered mighty organs, as they filter blood 40 times a day. No single machine can be that ultra efficient,” he explained, per ThisDay.
Most people with CKD are not aware they have it, he stressed, because symptoms do not usually develop in the early stages of the condition.
Typically, he added, by the time a person notices any symptom, the condition is at an advanced stage and damage to the kidneys at this stage is irreversible.
Faponle listed the symptoms of CKD to include hypertension or high blood pressure, anaemia, edema or swollen feet, hands, and ankles.
He advised Nigerians to consume fresh vegetables, avoid unhealthy foods and herbal concoctions, and try control hypertension and diabetes.