Two thousand and 800 people with kidney failure are benefiting from medical treatment in various hospital units in the country, said this Saturday, in Luanda, the Minister of Health, Sílvia Lutucuta.
The person in charge gave this information at the opening of the first “National Nephrology Meeting” held at the Cardeal Dom Alexandre do Nascimento Hospital Complex for Cardio-pulmunary Diseases, under the motto “A look at the state of nephrology in Angola”.
According to the minister, the country has two thousand and eight hundred patients undergoing hemodialysis and has 650 monitors for dialysis.
In her intervention, Sílvia Lutucuta pointed out high blood pressure, diabetes, malaria and glomerulonephritis as the main causes of acute renal failure.
“The country has 50 nephrologists and around 80 percent are in the province of Luanda”, said the minister, highlighting that there are 65 in training, whose ambition is to have these specialists in all provinces.
He explained that, at that time, there were only hemodialysis centers in the provinces with the highest number of patients in the country’s capital, namely Luanda, Benguela, Huambo, Moxico, Malanje, Bié and Huíla.
He added that the intention is to extend it, until 2027, throughout the national territory, because, in addition to continuing to reinforce issues linked to health promotion, disease prevention and early diagnosis, there is an estimate of a large number of minor patients, which all years go on hemodialysis.
According to the holder of the Health portfolio, the sector’s training plan also includes training specialist doctors, specialist nurses, diagnostic and therapeutic technicians, among others.
On the other hand, he highlighted the importance of changing unhealthy eating habits, reducing salt in food, and avoiding the use of tobacco and alcohol.