Mombasa's Coast General Hospital receives dialysis machines

A dialysis patient at the Coast General Hospital explains to Mombasa County Governor Hassan Ali Joho, Mvita MP Abdulswamad Shariff Nassir how he is getting better during a visit to the hospital after the hospital acquired a new machine for the disease. [PHOTO BY GIDEON MAUNDU/STANDARD].

MOMBASA: James Karisa* is a teacher from Mazeras area of Mombasa County. The 48 year-old teacher is HIV positive and in February doctors diagnosed him with end-stage renal disease and he is forced visit Coast General Hospital for dialysis.

A doctors' report indicates one of his kidneys has failed and he needs a transplant but Karisa can counts himself one of the luckier ones because unlike 38 similar cases on the waiting list at the Coast General Hospital he is able to undergo dialysis treatment once a week at the facility.

According to Coast General Hospital Administrator, Dr Iqbal Khandwalla, in such cases the patients are supposed to undergo dialysis thrice a week but because of inadequate dialysis machines at the facility some of them are lucky to have two.

Dialysis is a process for removing waste and excess water from the blood, and is used primarily as an artificial replacement for lost kidney function in people with renal failure. Dr Khandwalla says that disease is commonly caused are diabetes and hypertension.

"We receive patients from as far as Makindu, Malindi and Lunga Lunga given this is a referral hospital. A part for other emergency cases, we have 28 patients in our list for dialysis every week and we could only do two dialysis per week for each instead of three," said Dr Khandwalla.

He said that many dialysis patients prefer the facility given that it is cheaper, charging Sh.3,000 per session, compared to the private hospital where they are charged an average of Sh.15, 000.

According to Dr Khandwalla the gap between people with kidney problem and the treatment they require in the country is still huge its cost was still high at private health institution.

On Saturday, the hospital however received a major boost after Mombasa Governor Hassan Ali Joho, handed over four new four dialysis machine worth Sh.8 million donated by Sheikh Ahmed Al-Falasy from The United Arab Emirates (UAE).

Other than the machines the Sheikh Al-Falasy also committed to supply consumables (dialysis supplies) for a year which will also cost Sh.9 million making the total donation Sh.17 million.

"We are going to receive four more new (dialysis) machine from our development partner Sheik Ahmed Al-Falasy who has also given a commitment to give consumables (Dialysis Supplies) for a year amounting to Sh.9 million," said Joho.

He said that the equipment will increase the number of Dialysis Sessions for the patients to 400 per month.

Joho said he was negotiating with University of Washington to forge a partnership for the establishment an oncology centre at the Coast General adding that "will look for strategic partner to equip this hospital." He said that the county will in one year open the first oncology centre at the hospital.

Sheikh Al-Falasy said that he will also support maternity section at the facility.

Coast General's Renal Dialysis Unit was started in 2011 with four units and only eleven patients were attended with 160 sessions per month.

The number of the machines at the centre rose to ten even as the number of patients increased to sixty with 240 sessions per month.