CANACONA: Over the last couple of decades, hundreds of residents from Canacona taluka have been curious to find out why so many of them are dealing with kidney problems. What’s worse is that the authorities too, do not have the answers.
Against this backdrop, the locals from the taluka, which has a population of around 50,000 residents, have demanded that a registry be set up tracking all the patients as well those suffering from other major ailments in Canacona.
Incidentally, years ago, when it came to light that a sizeable population is suffering from renal failure, the authorities had conducted studies. However, the studies raised more questions than answers and the authorities are still grappling with reasons to explain the high percentage of patients in Canacona as compared to other talukas in the State.
To alleviate the sufferings of the kidney patients, the health department, has outsourced the dialysis unit to a private doctor in the premises of Canacona government hospital, for more than ten years, who according to the patients, has been doing a wonderful job.
Today, this dialysis unit, housed in the spacious Canacona Community Health Center (CHC) is treating 47 kidney patients on a rotating system basis.
Except for the data of these patients, no authority has any data of the other kidney patients, who are availing dialysis facilities from either government or private hospitals outside the taluka.
At the same time, the number of patients is not decreasing, which is the main reason, why their family members have constantly been calling upon the authorities to maintain a registry. They add that this should be part of the efforts to better understand this endemic disease and find solutions and point out that such studies should also look at other diseases affecting Canaconkars.
For perspective, as per the records at the CHC dialysis unit, there are about 20 kidney patients from Palolem and nearby areas alone.
Simon Rebello, the former chairperson of Canacona Municipality, pointed out that it is not easy on the families. “It’s just like carrying a cross if one suffers from kidney ailments; same is true to the family in, which there is a kidney patient. It’s also startling to know that some communities are more vulnerable than others, it is up to the authorities to ascertain and answer the questions that the people want to know,” said Simon, while adding that it is important for the authorities to figure out ‘how to eliminate kidney disease from the houses of Canacona.
