Nowadays, in some streets of Addis Ababa it is a common trend to hear imploring words amplified from mini buses at full volume. It is also common to watch or read articles about people who are suffering from severe medical cases, mostly kidney failure, but are too costly to be covered by the patients themselves or family members.
The beseeching tones and words which are always accompanied by a touchy music, ‘Ene negne dereash lewegene’, have greater power to seize the attention of every individual walking by, resonate with him/her for long, and lend a helping hand.
Visualize in the eyes of your mind the situation of patients who are in compelled to undergo dialysis twice a week in one part and eager to get generous kidney donors in the other part. These people do not only suffer from the disease; but they also spend numerous sleepless nights questioning where they could get the money they have to pay for dialysis which is much more than beyond their means.
Having very little opportunity or not developing the culture of conducting medical checkups in regular basis, these days many Ethiopians are getting themselves on hospital beds for the reason they have encountered illnesses (Kidney failure, the last stage of chronic kidney disease) they had never dreamt of it.
With the aim to lessen the burden of the sufferers, the Ethiopian Kidney Dialysis Charity Organization has been supporting them. The Organization since its establishment eight years ago has provided support for patients residing in the capital, Addis Ababa and various parts of the country.
According to Solomon Assefa, Manager of the Organization, free kidney dialysis service is being provided at Zewditu and Menilik II Hospitals. Currently, the Organization along with BGI Ethiopia, insurance companies and banks, is supporting nearly 100 patients at a cost of about seven hundred thousand Birr per month.
As part of the efforts the Organization is working to strengthen its capacity and support more patients.
Recently, the Organization held discussions with higher officials and relevant stakeholders on ways it can provide free kidney dialysis for patients.
Taking the growing prevalence rate of kidney disease as well as the shortcomings to cover medical expenses into account, the talks aimed at creating permanent solution for kidney patients.
On the occasion, Solomon briefed participants towards Organization’s plan to come up with the lasting solution and underscored the critical importance of collaboration from relevant stakeholders to realize the plan effectively, to provide free kidney dialysis for all patients in the coming Ethiopian New Year.
He also highlighted the role of artists in terms of creating a permanent stream of revenue/funds to the case.
Appreciating organization’s initiative, Ammanuel Yilma, music composer and author on his part said that artists, in collaboration with Ethio-telecom, are preparing a means to raise funds – through the revenue collected from music that is used in caller ring-back tone.
He added that a yearly Kidney Patients Memorial Day is also amongst the plan that will be underway soon. The day is expected to be celebrated as a platform to raise awareness, raise funds and hold (music) concerts.
Mentioning that the government along with the media has become active participants of voluntary activities, Samuel Yirga, Chairperson of the Organization’s Board, called on the public to play its role in every possible way.
Anteneh Haile, Artist, film-director and the Organization’s Board member, for his part noted that the main objective of the event is to make the relevant stakeholders take part in mobilizing their employees so that kidney patients can get free kidney dialysis in all hospitals.
As to him, many African countries provide free dialysis to kidney patients. “Taking those countries as an example, Ethiopia should follow their steps.”
Apart from the effort put to meet the objective, the program was also designed as a sensitizing platform for societies to prevent the disease.
Participants also stressed that special attention should be given to prevent the disease. They kept on signified that as a society, people need to develop a habit of conducting medical checkups twice or once a year in regular basis. By doing so, they can keep themselves from the disease as well as its costly medical expenses.
On the discussion, various organizations’ managers, artists, poets, officials of Addis Ababa Health Bureau and other concerned bodies participated.
The Ethiopian Herald September 11, 2019
BY BETHLHEM BEDLU
