The Peninsula 

Doha, Mar 12: Currently there are 360 kidney patients undergoing dialysis at the Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) and most of them are seeking donors for a kidney transplant, says an expert from the Nephrology Department at HMC.

The number of kidney patients has been on the rise in Qatar, with 150 to 200 cases reported every year. About 20 per cent of the kidney patients in the country die every year.

Many of these lives can be saved if there are enough people willing to donate a kidney, said Dr Hassan

Al Malki, consultant, Nephrology at HMC, at a press conference

yesterday. HMC will mark the World Kidney Day with a three-day programme starting from tomorrow, under the slogan, “Donate an organ, Save a life.” Hassan said, despite several campaigns in the past to promote organ donation, the response from the public was very poor.

Since 1986, HMC has carried out 90 kidney transplant operations but the actual number of people who needed a transplant was much more, said Hassan. About two-third of the kidney patients in Qatar are nationals.

Mortality due to kidney failure in Qatar is on par with international rates, added Hassan. One out of every 10 persons in the world is a kidney patient.

Diabetes and high blood pressure are major risk factors for the disease and about 50 per cent of the kidney patients in Qatar are found to be diabetic. Hassan advised all diabetics to undergo annual blood tests to diagnose or rule out a possible renal disease. He said early diagnosis and treatment can prevent total kidney failure.