Renal Unit, Department of Medicine of Federal Teaching Hospital, Ido-Ekiti( FETHI) with the support of the hospital management, has organised 2020 Annual World Kidney Day(WKD) tagged: “Kidney Health for Everyone, Everywhere; from prevention to detection and equitable access to care”, held on Thursday, at Igogo town hall, Ekiti State.

The Chief Medical Director(CMD)Dr. Adekunle Ajayi ably represented by consultant family medicine, Igogo Annex, Dr. Ariyibi in his speech, welcomed FETHI renal team present including people of Igogo community. He clearly expressed that the aim of the program is a call for world universal health for everyone and the kidney is a reflection of how we live our life. He urges participants to take their health with earnest intent and pay attention to all lectures.

Dr. Obajuolowo, Head of Renal Unit (HOU) and Consultant, Nephrologist was grateful to the people of the community for their swift response and urged listeners not to hesitate to ask questions relating to their health.

The first presenter marton Adefehiti spoke on the theme for the year. She mentioned that kidney are roughly the size of your fist, which is located deep in the abdomen, beneath the rib cage.
Furthermore, causes that can either lead to chronic or acute kidney diseases includes: hypertension, concoction of herbs and drugs, obstructive/ reflux uropathy, hereditary condition such as sickle cell disease among others.

In addition, prevention/ treatment involves conservative care; medical and surgical treatment and renal replacement; Heamodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and kidney transplantation. Improving health facilities at the grassroots level with capacity for screening and basic intervention, improving soci-economic standards for all, national funding for RRT Kidney transplantation among others are seen as the way out in preventing kidney disease.

She also spoke on the benefits of inculcating a healthy lifestyle such as regular consumption of vegetables, drinking lots of water, less alcohol intake, quitting smoking and less of red meat consumption.

“Importance of Kidney Care” was delivered by the second speaker Dr. Soje a Renal Nephrologist who emphasised that World Kidney day is an initiative of the International Society of Nephrology and the International Federation of Kidney Foundation which is marked every second Thursday in March. The importance of WKD is a global campaign that aims to raise awareness of the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the frequency and impact of kidney disease and its associated health problems worldwide.

Concluding the program, a drama piece was staged to participants as a means of communicating the importance of kidney care. Nurse Obenbe says there is no better medicine than the food we eat and encouraged all to have a regular check up and stay healthy always.

Activities carried out in the outreach programme were; vital signs, consultations, counselling, drugs dispensing and screening for risk factors such as hypertension and diabetes as well screening for kidney disease.

In attendance were about 200 patients, Renal Health Physicians Nephrologist , Renal nurses, Pharmacists, Accountants, Cancer registry team and other medical team were on ground for the outreach exercise.