This grant is specifically intended to build capacity in Provinces where no Academic Hospitals were situated as part of an effort to achieve a more equitable distribution of specialised hospital services. I hope that this hospital complex will continue to live up to its reputation as the safety net in the province - a referral centre for specialist care. I can conclude, with confidence, that we are on course to deliver quality and comprehensive health services. The major cause of chronic kidney failure is uncontrolled blood pressure especially in our black communities. Acute kidney failure can occur due to water loss in the body due to diarrhoea, blood loss due to trauma and pregnancy-related complications like eclampsia where the blood pressure is high.
Dialysis is an expensive mode of treatment.
Each dialysis costs about R800 per sitting. A chronic kidney failure patient receives 3 dialysis per week. An acute dialysis may take up to 6 weeks. Due to budgetary constraints patients selected for chronic kidney dialysis should pass the strict national guidelines. A multi-professional team of doctors, nurses and social workers assesses this.