Kathmandu, June 18

Rotary Club of Rajdhani today handed over three high quality haemodialysis machines worth $45,000 to Aarogya Foundation, Lalitpur.

According to the foundation, one out of every 10 people is likely to suffer from kidney diseases and it’s a steadily growing problem worldwide.

Every year 3,000 Nepali people suffer from kidney failure and unfortunately, 90 per cent of them die within the following few months.

At present, Human Organ Transplant Centre is providing dialysis for more than 100 patients every day and performing more than hundred transplants per year.

With the possibility of world class kidney transplant service in HOTC, Bhaktapur, patients from neighbouring India have been regularly visiting the centre. So far, seven out of 20 Indian citizens, who visited HOTC, have already received new kidneys in Nepal. Dr Pukar Chandra Shrestha, executive director of HOTC and general secretary of Aarogya Foundation, said these dialysis machines are vital to save the lives of kidney patients. The patients’ inflow is increasing every other day.

Although the foundation is providing round-the-clock dialysis services to patients, it is still unable to meet the demand.

At present, there are 17 dialysis machines in the foundation providing services to 70 patients on a daily basis.

According to Dr Shrestha, providing free dialysis is a welcome step by the government but insisted that the government should now provide free transplantation and medicine after kidney transplantation so that patients could lead fit and healthy lives and support the nation and family economically.

“New amendment legislation 2015 has included important upgrades compared to the previous one,” informed Dr Shrestha.

He added that the legislation has vastly broadened the possibility of distant relatives donating organ to patients.

The new list includes husband, wife, son, daughter, adopted children, mother, father, stepfather,  stepmother, grandfathers, grandmothers, grandsons, granddaughters, brothers, sisters, first and second cousins, spouse’s siblings, brother-in-law, sister-in-law, son-in-law and daughter-in-law.

The new law also paves the way for paired exchange provisions between two or more families. One of the most important aspects of the new law is the procurement of viable organs from a brain dead person.

Minister of State for Industry and also a transplantee Megh Raj Nepali said transplantation and dialysis services are of high standard and quality in the country.