Effects of pandemic and lockdown on dialysis patients

According to a study conducted by Stanford University, there was a 64 percent increase in the number of deaths amongst dialysis patients during lockdown. The reasons ranged from disrupted hospital and transportation services to the fear of catching the virus.

The recent pandemic has transformed the world into a different place than what it was a year ago. The nonchalance with which we stepped out to meet friends and family or entered a mall filled with shoppers is now a far fetched dream. While we are faced with the worst pandemic in recent times, it is the people with various illnesses that were affected the most.

As we continue to combat the situation caused by COVID19, it’s critical that we take every possible step to ensure the health of vulnerable patients especially those who suffer from chronic kidney disease. The dialysis patients suffered major obstacles accessing medical care due to the extended lockdown and the paranoia of going to hospitals.

Having said that COVID itself could lead to many more complications and secondary infections for a person suffering from CKD. The patients need to visit the centre/hospital (twice in a week) which exposes them to multiple infections and get prone to it. Given the travel time, hospital infections and other aspects it is necessary that CKD patients get to access care safely while avoiding maximum exposure.

Apollo Dialysis Clinics, the Dialysis wing of Apollo Health and Lifestyle Limited came up with safe dialysis clinics. Having a dedicated clinic for dialysis makes it much safer for the patients to come and avail the treatment without worrying about coming in contact with various infections. It also helps in making the process of treatment hassle free and faster. While most of us turned towards telemedicine, it wasn’t an option for patients who needed regular dialysis and hence the dedicated centre with stringent hygiene and infection control protocols are needed.

As we continue to combat the unprecedented health and economic emergency caused by COVID-19, it’s critical that we take every possible step to ensure the safety of vulnerable patients while still making the treatment accessible and hassle free. However, to fight this battle patients also need to join hands with healthcare providers by following certain guidelines that would keep the infections at bay.

Prashant C Dheerendra, Senior Nephrologist at Apollo Dialysis Clinics, Bangalore – MB Bureau