The Cost of Dialysis in Nigeria Today (July, 2024)
One of the most disturbing illnesses in Nigeria today, is kidney related illnesses. Outside the fact that these illnesses can be painful, they are also very deadly. It is very important to take a dip into these kidney disease to understand and know how to treat them better. Better still, to now the cost of treating kidney related problems in Nigeria.
One of the best ways of dealing with kidney-related sickness is dialysis. Kidney dialysis is a medical approach that involves using sophisticated medical machines to treat a malfunctioning kidney. A mal functional kidney can result in high blood pressure, kidney stones etc. With the aid of dialysis, one can keep the body fluids in a balance. Chemicals that control blood pressure like sodium, bicarbonate, buffers, salts, etc can be checked.
Kidney dialysis is a generic method of dealing with kidney diseases. In this article, we would be looking at how much dialysis in Nigeria cost.
What Is The Cost Of Dialysis In Nigeria?
Kidney Dialysis is a very common medical approach in Nigeria. With the significant rise in defective kidneys in Nigeria, it is now more common to see a lot of patients going out to be treated of their Kidney ailment.
It is not very easy to specify the exact amount of money that is used in enrolling for kidney Dialysis. But on an average scale, the cost can range from N25,000 to N35,000 per session. So on a per-week-basis, we would be looking at N90,000 to N130,000. For a month, we are talking N340,000 to N400,000
This cost is not actually void of itself, as there are other underlying factors that affect the cost. One of such factors is the clinic or hospitals. Where the treatment took place. Different Clinics charge different fees for Dialysis. The most expensive are private hospitals. Some private medical establishment s can charge as much as N60,000 per session. You can also attribute the cost factor to the location where the treatment took place. Treatment that took place in places like Lagos, Abuja, Port Harcourt can be quite expensive.
How Does Dialysis Work?
Dialysis treatment comes in different types, notwithstanding the fact that they have the same function. For example, in Haemodialysis, the patient is to lie back in a chair, here the doctor would place to needles at the location of the graft.
There is a suction force in the dialysis machine that would draw the blood of the patient, and send it into the dialyzer. This functions as a simulation of the kidney, removing excess salt, fluid and waste. When the blood is cleaned, it is sent back to the body of the patient through another needle that is placed in the arm.
One can do dialysis at home or in medical centres. Each session, can last fro 3-5 hrs and are required to be taken 3 times a week. This solely depends on how critical the kidney disease is.
Having the dialysis done at home has an added advantage. At home, one can set very comfortably, watch movies, and even good sleep. The dialysis process can take up to many hours, that is why comfort is necessary for the procedure.
Who Needs Dialysis?
if the kidney of an individual becomes so damaged that it can no longer function to help the body maintain its osmotic balance, then the patient would either require a transplant or dialysis. Whenever results from lab tests indicate that the patient now has very high toxic levels of waste in the bloodstream, then, the need for dialysis would arise. There are a couple of symptoms that follow kidney failure. Some of these include fatigue, nausea, and throwing up incessantly.
The timeframe in which the patient should commence dialysis largely depends on the overall health, age, energy level and lab test results. With the aid of dialysis, the life expectancy of an affected individual can be prolonged. It is the job of the Doctor, to admonish the patient on the time he/she should start the treatment, and most often, the type of dialysis to go for.
What A Patient Should Expect During Dialysis
One of the most important questions that most patients ask is what is expected of them in dialysis. It is very important to inform your doctor if there are any stances where you feel pain. The process of dialysis on a general note does not really hurt. But oftentimes, patients complain about some side effects of the dialysis.
Example of some of the side effects includes dry skin, vomiting, nausea, cramps in muscles. Low blood pressure is also one possible side effect. You can reduce other side effects by checking what you eat. Patients are advised to seek counsel from their doctors on what to eat, like the protein quantity, the level of salt intake. Lastly, patients should refrain from smoking and alcohol.
