The Barbados Kidney Association has raised concern about the growing number of Barbadians developing kidney disease and requiring dialysis, warning that the island’s healthcare system is facing increasing pressure as cases continue to rise.
President Sadie-Ann Sisnett revealed that while there were about 260 dialysis patients in 2023, that figure had now climbed to more than 400, creating challenges for facilities such as the Queen Elizabeth Hospital which must accommodate the rapidly growing demand for treatment.
She was speaking as the association began its observance of World Kidney Week with a church service at St Cyprian’s Anglican Church.
Sisnett stressed that many cases were linked to lifestyle factors such as diabetes, hypertension, poor diet, lack of exercise and dehydration, and encouraged the public to get their kidney function tested early, noting that kidney disease was often a “silent killer” with very few symptoms in its early stages. (TRY)
