Gov’t moves to strengthen kidney care as amputations rise

Concerned about a rise in amputations among diabetic patients, Health Minister Dr. Frank Anthony said the government is strengthening efforts to improve diabetes management and kidney care in Guyana.

Speaking at a conference in observance of World Kidney Day, the Health Minister said the complications emerging are worrying. As such, he encouraged healthcare providers to go beyond basic treatment and ensure that patients are consistently monitored to prevent complications.

“We have noticed that there has been an increase of amputations for diabetic patients and this is something that during this year, maybe in the first quarter of this year, we want to have a discussion… we believe that some of these limbs can be saved,” he said.

In the interim, the ministry is working to tackle kidney care by ensuring that diabetic patients are properly treated. Guyana currently has some 650 patients receiving dialysis. Many diabetic patients soon find themselves on dialysis as the illness causes kidney failure.

The ministry introduced a voucher programme about a year ago to help patients access key diagnostic tests, including the HbA1c test, which measures blood sugar control over time. The vouchers allow patients to access testing at private laboratories across Guyana.

“That has worked very well, and through that programme we have seen a lot more persons coming forward to get their HbA1c because they can use the voucher to go to any one of the private sector entities,” Dr. Anthony said.

With new public hospitals coming on stream, dialysis chairs will be activated at those facilities, while an additional 15 dialysis machines have already been procured to be placed strategically across regional hospitals. Dr. Anthony said expanding dialysis services is necessary given the increasing number of patients requiring treatment. He explained that in the past, patients received a one-time payment of $350,000 in assistance and were not eligible for further support. That policy has since been revised.

“Now every year we are seeing a lot more persons coming forward to get assistance,” he said.

Patients are now receiving government assistance of $600,000 annually to help offset the cost of treatment