Known for its humane approach towards patients, with an understanding and caring staff and a team of doctors who relate to patients as friends, the HBS (Hazrat Bismillah Shah) Hospital will be opening its Kidney Dialysis Centre in October 2013, where patients will be treated so kindly that they will not feel the pinch of the needle, or even a pinch on their pockets!
By Nigar Ataulla
Our body, with all its organs functioning so efficiently and in coordination with each other, is an amazing miracle by itself. Every organ of our bodies is important and has its own unique function.
What function do kidneys play? For your body to work properly, it must contain just the right amount of water. One of the important jobs of kidneys is to remove excess water from the body or to retain water when the body needs more.
Many of the substances in the blood and body fluid must be kept at the correct level for the body to function properly. When the kidneys are working properly, excess minerals, such as sodium and potassium, are excreted from the body through urine. Kidneys also help to regulate the levels of other minerals, such as calcium and phosphate, which are important for the formation of bones. Wastes, such as urea, must also be removed from the body. Urea and other wastes are made when the body breaks down protein. Creatinine is a waste product of the muscles. As kidney function decreases, the levels of urea and creatinine in the blood increase.
Kidneys also make important chemical messengers called hormones. These hormones circulate in the bloodstream and regulate some body functions, such as blood pressure and the making of red-blood cells.
When we are healthy, our kidneys regulate our body levels of water and minerals and remove waste. Some people, however, may have failed or damaged kidneys which cannot carry out the functions properly. Because of this, they may need dialysis.
Dialysis is the artificial process of eliminating waste and unwanted water from the blood. In other words, dialysis is the artificial replacement for lost kidney function (or what is called renal replacement therapy).
Dialysis may be used for patients who face acute kidney failure. Dialysis does not correct the endocrine functions of failed kidneys, but only replaces some kidney functions, such as waste removal and fluid removal. The process of dialysis entails taking blood out of a patient who has kidney failure and sending that blood through a dialysis machine. Inside the machine, the blood is filtered, somewhat like what a normal kidney does, taking out waste and water that has accumulated in the blood. The processed blood is then returned to the patient. Typically, dialysis takes place for 4 hours, 3 days a week.
Kidney failure does not just affect the patient but the entire family, friends and others who care for the patient. Many of the changes and emotions affecting patients also apply to them. Coping with kidney failure is not just about managing physical symptoms with treatment. Patients may feel that their life has been turned upside down. Experiencing kidney failure means that they will also experience important life changes, such as a change in their working life, personal and family life, finances and daily activities. These changes can cause a great deal of stress and a range of emotional reactions.
“One of the main causes of stress in this regard”, relates Dr.Zafar, who has specialized in Emergency Medicine, “is the change of lifestyle that comes with the diagnosis. Being told you have kidney failure can come as quite a shock. The patient may feel sad and helpless. Fear and anxiety are also common emotions when a person is diagnosed with a chronic kidney disease. When someone is first diagnosed with kidney failure, she/he may fear that she/he will lose her/his independence or become a burden on others. Feelings of anger are common among kidney failure patients. Apart from the physical and psychological stress that a patient with renal failure undergoes is also the stress caused by mounting medical expenses”.
“Patients who are from economically poor families often have to depend on donors to undergo dialysis. Sometimes, children take turns to fund the dialysis of their father or mother. But these days, some children refuse to help their parents in such cases. Some parents find it embarrassing to ask their children for their help. Kidney failure patients do not want sympathy or pity. They just want to be treated normally,” adds Dr Zafar, speaking from his vast and rich experience interacting with patients.
Known for its humane approach to its patients, with an understanding and caring staff and a team of doctors who relate to patients as friends, the HBS (Hazrat Bismillah Shah) Hospital has opened the doors of its new Kidney Dialysis Centre which is equipped with, state-of-the art Dialysis Machine.
Backed by the Anjuman-e-Khuddamul Muslimeen (AKM), a Bangalore-based organization, HBS hospital, with Dr Taha Mateen as its CEO, has over the past year, seen some 16,000 patients and 1700 in-patients. Over 120 surgeries have been performed, and around 200 new babies were born here.
The setting up of the HBS Kidney Dialysis Centre has been a journey of tears, fears, ups and downs, chasing contractors, comparing prices, looking for the right suppliers and getting things done the right way by the right person. The HBS Dialysis Centre is really a “labour of love,” set up to make life easier for patients.
The HBS Dialysis Centre has taken immense care to offer the dialysis facility for Rs. 550 for those from the economically poorer sections of the society.
It is said that “When you wish for something good, you are also given the power to fulfill it!” Truly, the noble intentions of HBS team have taken shape in the form of its Kidney Dialysis Centre. An effort worth to be appreciated and talked about, for it truly reflects what the poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow has beautifully said: The heights by great men reached and kept, were not attained by sudden flight, But they, while their companions slept, were toiling upward in the night.
(The HBS Dialysis Centre, team can be reached at HBS Hospital, 58, Cockburn Road, Bangalore-51. Ph: 25541321)
COMMENTS
I need help to care my kidney