The haemodialysis unit of the DMCH, where there is a severe shortage of haemodialysis machines, faces a tragic but unavoidable predicament: it can admit new patients from a waiting list only when an under-treatment patient dies.
With only 16 haemodialysis machines available for over 450 enlisted renal failure patients, the authorities concerned at the haemodialysis unit of Dhaka Medical College Hospital (DMCH) have little to no options at hand. Working around-the-clock in three shifts, the unit can provide dialysis services to a maximum of 30-40 patients in a single day.
The unit is unable to accommodate all those who need the treatment as every patient needs to undergo two to three dialysis treatments a week.
Nephrologists said regular haemodialysis treatments or kidney transplants were the only two end-stage options for patients who have had both kidneys fail. As the kidney transplant process was comparatively more expensive, and the collection of a kidney from a blood relative was also a complicated procedure; most patients wanted to take the haemodialysis treatment.
Dr Nizamuddin Chowdhury, head of the haemodialysis unit, told the Dhaka Tribune that the limited number of machines meant they could not offer dialysis to at least 150 patients on their waiting list. “We have nothing to do unless a patient is dead,” he added.
When asked about the fate of the patients who fail to get admitted to the DMCH haemodialysis unit, Dr Nizam said those who could afford it usually went to private dialysis centres, while others who did not have the financial ability had no other option but to stop their own treatment and ultimately die.
“We need more haemodialysis machines. We have applied for 15 more machines and other accessories. If we get it, we would provide dialysis services to more kidney patients,” the chief of the haemodialysis unit said.
Compared to other hospitals, the DMCH reportedly offers more affordable haemodialysis treatments. For six months of treatment, the DMCH haemodialysis unit charges around Tk25,000 to each patient; while it costs each patient Tk40,000 to Tk50,000 per month to receive treatment from the private sector facilities.
Brig Gen Dr Mustafizur Rahman, director of the DMCH said the hospital had long been planning to set up an ideal haemodialysis unit, but was unable to do so because there only limited space was available at the unit to accommodate new machines.
However, there was now enough space available after the unit was recently shifted to DMCH 2. Requisition requests for 15 new machines have already been submitted to the health directorate, the DMCH director added.
Visiting the haemodialysis unit yesterday, the Dhaka Tribune spoke to Abdur Rashid, the son of a kidney patient, who said his father finally got an appointment for treatment after a gruelling wait of four months. However, there are still hundreds more who wait their turn to get affordable treatment at the unit.
Kidney failures reportedly cause around 40,000 deaths in Bangladesh each year, with more than 90% patients dying without receiving proper treatment.