TANGAIL: More than 3,500 poor patients were given treatment and distributed with required medicine completely free of cost on Saturday at a huge Free Medical and Eye Camp, held at Hatibandha under Shakhipur upazila of the district.
Kidney Awareness Monitoring and Prevention Society (KAMPS), a voluntary healthcare organization arranged the Free Medical Camp on the occasion of the International Mother Language Day as part of its regular annual event for the 11th consecutive years.
A well organized team of nearly 40 expert Physicians and Technologists, led by the renowned Kidney specialist, Chairman of KAMPS and Chief Consultant, Kidney Department of Lab Aid Specialized Hospital, Dhaka, Prof. Dr. M.A. Samad treated the helpless and poor patients of Tangail area.
Patients received treatments in various diseases including Kidney, Heart, Liver, Obs & Gynae, Gastro, Diabetes, ENT, Medicine, Pediatric, Chest, Dental, Mental health, paralysis, skin etc. while more than 100 aged poor Eye patients undergone cataract surgery in the camp.
Necessary lab tests of the patients like Blood Test, Urine, Crete nine, Blood Sugar, USG, ECG were done and also necessary medicines were distributed among the patients free of costs.
As part of the day long camp, a discussion meeting titled “Sound Kidneys for All: Awareness is a Must” was held and also the cover of the regular annual publication of KAMPS on the occasion of Free Medical Camp and Health Education Fair named “Prayash-11” was formally unfolded.
Former skipper of the national cricket team, Gazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu inaugurated the health education fair and free medical camp while Civil Surgeon of Tangail Dr. Syed Ibne Sayed, renowned Nephrologist and Director of NIKDU Prof. Dr. Rafiqul Abedin and Executive Director of the ‘Bureau Bangladesh’, Md. Jakir Hossain were present as special guests.
Adviser of the free medical camp and former General Manager of Bangladesh Bank, Md. Abdul Malek Mian presided over the meeting while Chairman of KAMPS, also Chief Consultant of Kidney Department of Lab Aid Specialised Hospital, Prof. Dr. MA Samad presented key note paper in the discussion meeting.
While addressing, Gazi Ashraf hossain Lipu said that the treatment facility in our country is insufficient comparing to the demand and particularly the poor and general people in the remote parts of the country suffer tremendously in want of treatment.
“Arranging such a daylong free medical camp in a village is surely a needful and praiseworthy initiative,” he added.
He mentioned that Prof. Dr. MA Samad arranges this program every year that immensely contributes in serving the poor village patients.
In his keynote presentation, Prof. MA Samad mentioned that KAMPS has taken out a very innovative way in honoring the language martyrs by holding free medical camp and health education fair to treat and aware general poor patients in the village who really deserve it.
Regarding Kidney diseases he said today the thinking pattern over the kidney patients have changed; now importance is being laid over preventing the kidney diseases instead of curing patients through treatment.
Referring to a study, he said in USA about US $48 billion was spent for treatment which is more than double of yearly budget of Bangladesh.
He further said the cost of treating only the kidney patients in UK is much more than that of treatment cost of all together the cancer of liver, lung and skin, which easily mean how fatal or frightful the kidney disease is.
He said about 20 million of people are suffering from some form of kidney disease, of them 14-18 percent suffer from chronic kidney disease (CKD) in rural & urban area while 35,000-40,000 people die of ESRD (End Stage of Rural Disease) every year and 20,000-25,000 people suffer from acute kidney failure every year.
Mentioning acute shortage of kidney treatment facility, he mentioned that Bangladesh has only 100 Nephrologist (Kidney disease specialist) & 140 Urologists (kidney surgeon), one specialized kidney institute at government level (NIKDU), only 20 dialysis center in greater Dhaka city.
He further said a kidney failure patient has to pay at least TK 10,000 per week for dialysis and 90-95 percent kidney patients can not afford treatment due to lack of financial support.
There are only five centers for kidney transplant in the country, he added.
He also said only six Medical College Hospital can provide medical services to kidney patients.
There is no structured kidney screening program in the country, which is why raising awareness among people to prevent the disease is the only option, he added.
Prof. Samad said KAMPS was formed with the objective to serve the poor patients specially raisning awareness among people in preventing Kidney disease.
The organisation has so far treated more than 50,000 patients and completed more that 1,000 cataract surgeries totally free of cost, he added.
The Doctors took part in the free medical camp include Prof. Dr. Rafiqul Abedin, Dr. Indrajit Prasad, Dr. Hafizur Rahman, Prof. Dr. Shahnaj Begum, Prof. Dr. Qazi Shahnoor Alam, Prof. Dr. Jakir Hossain Sarker, Dr. Md. Ashraful Alam, Dr. Tapashi Rahman, Dr. Mehjabin Rashid, Dr. Atahar Hossain, Dr. Ayesha Siddiqua, Dr. Syed Tanvir Ahmed, Dr. Selim Al-Azad, Dr. Md. Shohel Rana.
Managing Director of KAMPS, Nasrin Begum delivered vote of thanks to the guests.
BDST: 1903 HRS, FEB 21, 2015
