Syria Today | New equipment for renal failure patients

New equipment for renal failure patients

The EU delivered 20 new haemodialysis machines for patients with kidney failure to Ibn Al-Nafees Hospital for Kidney Surgery in Damascus on November 4.

The delivery was part of a larger donation of 60 machines to 11 hospitals across Syria, totalling more than SYP 100m (EUR 1.5m).

Syria’s Minister of Health Rida Said said the machines would improve the quality of life for patients at the hospital.

The donation comes as part of a Syrian-European cooperation agreement under the Health Sector Modernisation Programme, signed in 2002 and started in 2005. The programme ends this month and negotiations for a follow-up programme are underway.

“The donation is part of our efforts to support the Ministry of Health’s capacity for haemodialysis treatment,” Head of the Delegation of the European Commission to Syria Vassilis Bontosoglou said. “We are committed to helping the Syrian government promote public health services.”

Eighty-five hospitals around the country currently provide kidney dialysis for free. By doubling the number of dialysis machines, EU support has enabled 100 renal failure patients on Ibn Al-Nafees’s waiting list to receive treatment and significantly increased the provision of treatment in 11 other governorates.

Pressure on the Syrian health system has increased owing to the influx of Iraqi refugees who have access to the same health care facilities as Syrians. Ibn Al-Nafees Hospital for Kidney Surgery head Rania Derani said the donation would help to meet added demand from both communities.

In 2007, kidney disease ranked seventh among the 10 most prevalent diseases in Syria. It is estimated to rank similarly among the Iraqi population living in Syria.