Date: 2017-04-05

Ilorin General Hospital commences renal dialysis for kidney failure patients The General Hospital, Ilorin, has commenced the first renal dialysis for patient suffering from kidney failures.

Dr Atolagbe Alege, Kwara Commissioner for Health, made this known to newsmen when the dialysis was ongoing in Ilorin on Tuesday.

According to him, this is a good day for the people of Kwara and Nigerians as a whole.

He said the era of going outside the country for medical tourism over renal dialysis had gone because the Dialysis Centre for Renal Patients would cater for the needs of Nigerians.

The commissioner said the machines procured by the state government for the renal dialysis were the best and latest in the country.

According to him, the government has already signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Rodot Nigeria Ltd. for the maintenance of the machines on regular basis.

"The state government has made it possible for poor people to be able to access this healthcare at subsidised rate," he said.

Also, Dr Ibiyemi Mayokun, Consultant Nephrologist, Renal Unit of the hospital, explained that people with failed or damaged kidneys may have difficulty in eliminating waste and unwanted water from the blood.

"Dialysis is an artificial way of carrying out this process. Dialysis substitutes the natural work of the kidneys, so it is also known as renal replacement therapy (RRT).

According to the Nephrologist, healthy kidneys regulate the body levels of water and minerals and remove waste.

"Dialysis prevents the waste products in the blood from reaching hazardous levels and it can also remove toxins or drugs from the blood in an emergency, " he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the first renal dialysis procedure in the hospital involves a male patient with kidney problem.

He is expected to go through three to four hours of hemodialysis treatment.NAN