By Daniel Tyokua
The Minister of State for FCT Dr. Ramatu Tijjani Aliyu, has unveiled the Enoch and Folu Adeboye Dialysis Centre at Wuse district hospital of Abuja, as part of efforts to boost healthcare delivery system in the territory.
The centre which was equipped with eight dialysis machines, one medical water reverse osmosis purification system, and one 30 KVA generator, donated by the charity arm of the Redeemed Christian Church of God, is part of the church’s christian social responsibility to address health challenges in the society.
While unveiling the project, the minister commended the leadership of the church for the choice of a lifesaving project at this time of rising number of cases of kidney disease, stressing that the church was beginning to play one of its crucial roles of caring for the downtrodden in the society.
Aliyu who quoted from the holy book to buttress the significant of the dialysis centre, noted that kidney disease when detected early could be managed and corrected, just as she advocated for subsided dialysis cost in view of the economic realities.
The minister revealed that the FCT Administration in response to rising incidence of chronic kidney disease, by 2013 operated 2 public dialysis and intensive care units in district hospitals at Wuse and Asokoro respectively.
She used the occasion to call on Nigerian Association of Nephrology and all other health stakeholders to intensify public enlightenment activities including education on lifestyle changes, control of orthodox and traditional drugs abuse to prevent and control kidney diseases and other non-communicable diseases.
“March 2, each year is the world kidney day and this allows for awareness creation and free testing for early detection of kidney disease especially in clients with hypertension and diabetes. weight, urea, electrolytes, creatinine and cholesterol levels checks with evaluation of proteins in urine among others are additional tests necessary for early detection of kidney disease,” she stressed.
On his part, the Intercontinental Overseer, Christian Social Responsibility of the church, Pastor Idowu Iluyomade, revealed that the Abuja dialysis centre would be the 20th in the series of specialised medical interventions including intensive care unit, dialysis centres, cancer screening centre and primary healthcare centres donated by the church.
He also stressed that to date the Enoch and Folu Adeboye dialysis centre has donated 37 dialysis machines in Nigeria, adding that the centre has conducted over 30,000 subsidised/free dialysis sessions to date and partnered to carry out 6 kidney transplant for free.
