The panel discussions of the summit were on the topics - Understanding chronic kidney diseases’ burden and their stages; The disease’s outlook in India - the current challenges and way forward; Role of innovation and new infrastructure in combating chronic kidney diseases; and Environmental changes and Kidney Diseases - the challenges ahead.
During the discussions, experts echoed that early detection & screening and awareness on preventive lifestyle habits is the key towards kidney health. They also noted that lifestyle disorders like obesity, excess of stress and lack of sleep adversely impacts the kidney health. Most of these causes are preventable, if healthier and non-sedentary lifestyle is initiated as a sustainable change.
According to World Health Organisation (WHO), kidney diseases have risen from the world’s 13
th leading cause of death to the 10
th and mortality has increased from 8,13,000 in 2000 to 1.3 million in 2019, globally.
1 In India, nearly 5.8 million people die every year from Non-communicable diseases (NCDs), that include different kinds of kidney ailments as well. Several studies have also estimated that the number of new patients diagnosed with End-stage kidney diseases (ESKD) in India is over 100,000 per year.
2
Discussing the causes of chronic kidney diseases in India,
Dr. Manisha Sahay, HoD- Nephrology, Osmania General Hospital & Osmania Medical College, Hyderabad, said, “Almost 17 to 18 percent of our population suffers from kidney ailments but awareness level is still low when it comes to chronic kidney diseases. Apart from diabetes and hypertension being major causes for kidney diseases, heat stress, water pollution and use of pesticides are also significant risk factors.”
Ajay Naigaonkar, Cluster Head - Acute 1, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Limited, said, “In today’s scenario, treating chronic kidney diseases requires a holistic approach and a combined effort from various stakeholders. I am happy that this has clearly resonated in the panel discussions held as part of the summit. Driven by its purpose of ‘Good Health Can’t Wait’, Dr. Reddy’s is committed to providing access to affordable and innovative medicines. Dr. Reddy’s has done pioneering work in the chronic kidney diseases segment. In 2010, launched Cresp®- the first generic darbepoetin alfa in the world, and the only darbepoetin alfa in India. Cresp® was approved in India for the treatment of anemia due to chronic kidney disease and anemia due to chemotherapy. With patient-centricity as its aim, Dr. Reddy’s has held several awareness initiatives on chronic kidney diseases. In partnership with the Indian Society of Nephrology, Dr. Reddy’s has conducted various training sessions for over two lakh healthcare professionals, including physicians, diabetologists and internal medicine practitioners in the last couple of years through physical CMEs and online platforms.”
Dr. (Prof.) A.K. Bhalla, Chairman and HoD, Department of Nephrology, Sri Ganga Ram Hospital, New Delhi opined that all relevant stakeholders including pharma industry, government and nephrologists need to come together for integrated kidney health management instead of working in silos. He further elaborated the manner in which simple tests like urine albumin to creatinine ratio (ACR) can help in detecting kidney issues at the initial stage.
In keeping with the theme of this year’s World Kidney Day 2023- “
Preparing for the unexpected, Supporting the Vulnerable”, the summit also saw fruitful discussions on policy regulation, accessibility and affordability in innovative kidney care management.
During his opening remarks,
Mr. Kamal Narayan, CEO of IHW Council, said, “When it comes to kidney ailments, prevention is indeed better than cure through healthy lifestyle choices. However, it is equally important to provide supporting and enabling environment to chronic kidney patients as well as their caregivers and at the same time ensure that kidney care is accessible and affordable and leaves no one behind.”
Dr. Karan Thakur, Group Lead - Sustainability & ESG and Vice President - Public Affairs, Apollo Hospitals Group emphasized on a holistic approach along with better policy regulations and inclusive kidney care for all sections.
Dr. Urvashi Prasad (Director-Office of Vice Chairman, NITI, Aayog); Mr. Amitav Banerjee (Director & Division Head, Nephrology and Critical Care, Dr. Reddy’s Laboratories Limited); Dr. Tarun Kumar Saha (Sr. Consultant, Nephrologist & Transplant Physician, Yashoda Hospital- Secunderabad); Dr. Shashi Kumar (Consultant, Nephrology, Paras HMRI Hospital- Patna); Dr. Siddni Vishwanath (HoD & Consultant Nephrologist, Manipal Hospital- Bengaluru) and Dr. Vidyashankar P (Lead Consultant Nephrologist, Aster CMI Hospital- Bengaluru), were the other panelists. The sessions were moderated by experts from the IHW Council.
1 https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/the-top-10-causes-of-death
2 https://www.indiatoday.in/education-today/gk-current-affairs/story/world-kidney-day-hypertension-and-diabetes-two-major-causes-of-kidney-diseases-1477841-2019-03-14