Available data from World Health Organisation (WHO) shows that more than 500 million persons worldwide have Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) of which 10 per cent are adults and every year millions of people die prematurely of cardiovascular diseases complications linked to CKD, the minister of health, Professor Babatunde Osotimehin has said.

Professor Osotimehin who made the revelation during a press briefing to mark this year’s kidney day with the theme "keep the pressure down" in Abuja recently, said that "the incidence of kidney failure world wide is predicated to rise at the rate of 6 per cent per year if nothing is done," adding that "this is greater than the rate at which the world’s population is growing (1.6% per year)."

The minister stated that the exact prevalence of Chronic Kidney diseases in Nigeria was not known, however said "hospital based data in the country have reported prevalence of 1.6- 8%," disclosing that "world wide, over 1.5 million people are currently being kept alive through dialysis or kidney transplant, surgery, and this number is forecasted to double in the next decade if nothing is done."

Continuing, the minister said that the minimum cost of dialysis in Nigeria was N36,000 per session in which the patient would need a minimum of 3 sessions in 1 week which amount to N108,000 per week or N5 million per year, lamenting that "in Nigeria about 75% of those needing dialysis are unable to afford it for 1 week, and only 4% can afford it for more than 3 months."

While saying that the kidney disease can be prevented, Prof. Osotimehin said that it was important Nigerians know that "kidney disease is common, harmful, preventable, controllable and oftentimes treatable."

"Our teaching hospitals and Federal Medical Centres are being modernized with state-of-the –art equipments. Our hospitals are also being rejuvenated and manned with trained specialists to manage different types of condition. The general public is also being sensitized on healthy life style and through the integration of non-communicable diseases control and prevention into primary healthcare services, the healthcare workers are being strengthened for effective prevention, early detection, and prompt referral of diseases," the minister added.

He however advised Nigerians to imbibe regular exercise, eating healthy balanced low-salt diet, body weight control, regular medical checkup including monitoring of blood pressure, not smoking, quitting from smoking and other substance use, adding that "we should keep drugs out of reach of children, take only prescribed drugs, and drink at least 3.5 litres of water in a day," calling on Nigerians not to wait until they have symptoms of kidney complications before they go for test, as according to him, "that is why some people are now coming down with advance stage of Chronic Kidney Diseases requiring kidney replacement therapy like dialysis or kidney transplant surgery."