Date: 2018-02-14

At least three in 10 Nigerians aged over 18 could be suffering one or another kidney related condition, according to the Nigerian Association of Nephrology.

The figure excludes children under 18, said the President of the association, Babatunde Salako, at a press conference and opening ceremony of the 30th annual scientific conference and general meeting of the association in Ilorin, the Kwara state capital.

He noted with displeasure the inadequate of Nephrologists in Nigeria to cater for those with kidney diseases adding that the country need to change with the dynamism of the professional in the world.

"Our main challenge remains inadequate nephrologists for our people. One of the most important components of developing nephrology services in many areas of the country is the training of nephrologists who will prioritise renal disease and seek out patients who need care, but the ratio of nephrologists per population in Nigeria is still one of the lowest in the world, making comprehensive delivery of renal care extremely challenging.

"Presently, we have 400 nephrologists in Nigeria and ordinarily we should have 1000 nephrologists per one million population and most of the ones we have are at urban centres making rural areas suffer, whereas, the management of CKD and other kidney diseases require functional health system, health workers and resources in all parts of Nigeria," Salako said.

He however lamented that their efforts at tackling the challenges are being frustrated by continuing brain drain of health workers from Nigeria to other regions of the world while lack of financial resources remains a major constrain on provision of renal care in many parts of Nigeria and Africa.