Residents of Bade Local Government Area of Yobe State have appealed to Governor Mai Mala Buni to establish a dialysis centre in Gashua, lamenting that the absence of the facility has compounded the suffering of kidney disease patients and their families, Arewa reports.
The residents said despite years of appeals and the persistent burden of chronic kidney disease in the area, patients still travel long distances to Damaturu, the state capital, to access life-saving dialysis treatment.
The demand comes amid growing concerns over the prevalence of kidney disease in Bade LGA, a health challenge that residents say has claimed hundreds of lives over the past decade and left many families devastated.
Although dialysis treatment is provided free of charge at the Yobe State University Teaching Hospital in Damaturu, residents argued that the lack of a dialysis centre in Gashua continues to impose financial, emotional and physical hardship on patients.
Speaking with Arewa on Monday, a resident of Bade LGA, Hamza Muhammad Tasi’u, described the situation as unbearable for many families.
“The people of Gashua are going through a lot due to the lack of the dialysis centre,” he said.
“People are going to Damaturu, the state capital, for dialysis, which is costing patients and their families a lot. Many of these patients are already weak because of their medical condition. Some of them require multiple sessions every week, and the transportation costs alone have become a heavy burden on families.”
According to him, relatives often spend days away from home accompanying patients for treatment, while others are forced to borrow money to cover transportation and feeding expenses.
“The situation has become very difficult for ordinary families, especially those who have been dealing with kidney disease for years,” he added.
Tasi’u acknowledged the state’s provision of free dialysis services but insisted that bringing treatment closer to affected communities would significantly ease the burden on patients.
“We appreciate the government’s efforts in providing free dialysis services, but what we need is a dialysis centre here in Gashua. The disease is affecting many families and people should not have to travel long distances whenever they need treatment.
“The government should consider the pain that patients and their families are going through. A dialysis centre in Gashua will save lives, reduce costs and provide hope to many affected households,” he said.
Another resident, Abdullahi Kaigama, a member of the Save Gashua Kidney Disease Initiative, said the request had become increasingly urgent given the growing number of patients in the area.
Kaigama said, “Many families in Gashua have lost loved ones to kidney disease. Almost every household knows someone who has been affected by this tragedy.
“We are appealing to Governor Mai Mala Buni to build a dialysis centre in Gashua because it will greatly reduce the suffering of patients.
“The people are not asking for too much. We only want a facility that will bring treatment closer to the patients. Many people are already struggling financially and travelling to Damaturu for treatment only increases their hardship.”
He expressed optimism that the establishment of a dialysis centre in Gashua would improve access to healthcare and reduce deaths associated with kidney disease.
Residents maintained that access to dialysis should not depend on repeated journeys to the state capital, particularly for patients battling a life-threatening condition that often requires regular treatment.
Meanwhile, efforts are ongoing to unravel the causes of the high incidence of kidney disease in Bade LGA.
A multidisciplinary team of medical researchers, laboratory scientists, geologists, chemists, ecotoxicologists and international collaborators is currently conducting a comprehensive investigation into the root causes of chronic kidney disease in the area.
The research project, funded by the Yobe State Government, is expected to provide scientific evidence that could explain the unusually high prevalence of the disease in Bade communities.
The Principal Investigator of the study, Dr Mahmoud Bukar Maina, said researchers had adopted a scientific approach to examine all possible risk factors associated with the disease.
“This is a special intervention project funded by the Yobe State Government. For more than a decade, we have witnessed rising cases of kidney disease in Bade LGA,” Maina said.
“We are taking a scientific approach because there are many theories about what might be causing this problem. We have collected environmental samples and human samples not because we have already identified a cause, but because we want to investigate every possible risk factor.”
According to him, the team has collected over 2,000 blood and urine samples as well as hundreds of environmental samples, including soil, water, fish and vegetables.
Health experts describe chronic kidney disease as a condition in which the kidneys gradually lose their ability to filter waste and excess fluids from the blood. The disease often develops silently and may not be detected until it reaches an advanced stage.
Common symptoms include fatigue, nausea, loss of appetite, swelling of the feet and ankles, muscle cramps, sleep disorders, reduced urine output and high blood pressure.
When contacted for comments on the residents’ concerns and the possibility of establishing a dialysis centre in Gashua, the Yobe State Commissioner for Health, Dr Lawan Gana, did not respond to calls made to his telephone line.
A text message sent to him seeking clarification on the matter was also not replied to as of the time of filing this report.