About 140,000 people are suffering from kidney-related diseases every year in the country, of them only 40,000 can get dialysis treatment while only 800 patients avail transplant facility.
This was disclosed by leading health experts while delivering presentations at the awareness programme on "A new lease in life in kidney failure" organised by Department of Nephrology, Liaquat National Hospital (LNH).
Dr Iffat Yazdani said the dialysis patient could not survive for long, but patient received transplantation would lead normal life and it was also cheaper
than maintenance of haemo-dialysis.
"The criteria for choosing a donor is very stringent and only relatives as well as spouses are preferred. But in 50 percent cases, family members are not willing to donate kidney," she said and clarified that research had proved that person donated one kidney could live happily, participate in activities normally and no disability would follow donation of kidney.
Dr Ishrat Saleem said, the organisation of kidney donors had been formed in Turkey, Iran and other countries, where different services including health policies, children education were offered to donors, but such organisations do not exist in Pakistan.
Dr Faheem-ul-Hassan said kidney donation is allowed in Islam, while Organisation of Islamic Conference (OIC) had also backed kidney donation. "But it is compulsory that kidney donor should be physically healthy and have no risk to his or her health," he pointed.
The trade of kidney donation was increasing in Asia, which was not allowed in Islam, he said and discussed management of dialysis and renal transplant cases.
Dr Absar Ali said the diabetes patients had high risk of kidney disease in our country.
He advised that pure drinking water should be used in huge quantity and blood pressure should also be controlled to prevent kidney diseases.
Dr Altaf Hashmi said precautions should be undertaken during transplant of kidney.
The Head Department of Nephrology and Transplantation, LNH, Dr Iffat Yazdani, Consultant Nephrologist Dr Faheem-ul-Hassan, Dr Altaf Hashmi, Dr Ishrat Saleem, Dr Absar Ali and Dr Aziz Abdullah also spoke on this occasion.