Corporate support helps DMRC keep dialysis cost low

Apr 01, 2019 News

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Not so long ago a kidney failure patient could have accessed a single dialysis session at the Doobay Medical and Research Centre [DMRC] for a mere $9,000. This has arguably been the lowest afforded patients in sometime.
But according to Founder and President, of the Centre, Dr. Budhendra Doobay, offering the considerably subsided cost was in fact at a heavy loss to facility.
Because of the immense loss incurred, Dr. Doobay revealed that a decision was made to hike the dialysis cost from today [May 1, 2019] to $12,000.
“Unfortunately, we had no choice but to make the hard decision to raise the fees to $12,000 as of May 1, 2019 in order to sustain operations. This is only so we can survive financially and the patients who can’t afford any money whatsoever can also survive, as approximately 50 percent of the patients being dialysed cannot afford to pay at all,” Dr. Doobay explained.
But all is not loss. Upon learning of the added cost to patients, Dr. Doobay revealed that corporate support was forthcoming.
He disclosed that Mr. Sattaur Gafoor of Gafoors – a hardware and manufacturing company – after hearing about the patients’ plight decided he will cover the Centre’s shortfall which will amount to some $2M per month. Gafoor, Dr. Doobay said, has committed to covering the shortfall for the period May to December, 2019.
“It is only because of his generous support patients will continue to pay $9,000 over this period. Mrs. Ameena Gafoor contributes to the work of the Centre so patients can be dialysed in a timely manner,” shared Dr. Doobay as expressed optimism that others would emulate this noble gesture.
“I am appealing to all Guyanese to visit the Centre and see how you can help because we do not want to close our doors to patients; to our fellow Guyanese who are in need. Your help is critical for patients who cannot afford these treatments,” he added.
But there are not too many people who give patients a second thought, especially when it comes to their financial wellbeing. Although the Georgetown Public Hospital Corporation [GPHC] is one of the health facilities flocked by many patients when they are strapped for finance, by virtue of its free services, there is a limit to the “freeness” on offer there.
This is particularly true for these very patients with kidney failure. Reports suggest, too, that the number of these patients is increasing at an alarming rate.
Kidney failure is also referred to as end-stage renal disease and is said to be the last stage of chronic kidney disease. When the kidneys fail it means they have stopped working well enough for an individual to survive without dialysis.
Without a kidney transplant surgery, patients with kidney failure are usually subjected to treatment in the form of dialysis for the rest of their lives.
Dialysis is a form of treatment for kidney failure that helps to rid the body of unwanted toxins, waste products and excess fluids by filtering the blood. When kidneys fail, the body may have difficulty cleaning the blood and keeping the system chemically balanced.
It has long been recognized by families of kidney failure patients and health workers that access to treatment for kidney failure can quickly consume an individual’s finance even forcing the person to an early grave.
But there is only so much that can be done for kidney failure patients, given the increasing numbers.
Moreover, while kidney failure patients are eligible for out-patient treatment at the GPHC at no cost to them, this is only done for a limited period after which they are forced to seek treatment privately.
It was in recognition of the plight of patients in need of dialysis that a tactical initiative – the DMRC – was conceptualised by Dr. Budhendra Doobay, a Guyanese who migrated to Canada some years ago.
While DMRC, has been offering a subsidized service to patients for a number of years now, he is convinced that even more facilities are needed to fully meet the country’s dialysis needs.
In addition to the GPHC [which the DMRC had helped initialise] and the service offered at the DMRC, there are a few other privately operated facilities offering dialysis service.
“The Ministry of Health is considering opening up Centres in New Amsterdam, Essequibo and Linden in the near future. This will be a great blessing for the residents in those areas,” Dr. Doobay noted recently as he considered the prevailing kidney failure situation Guyana is faced with.
Reminiscing on the genesis of the DMRC, Dr. Doobay recalled that it was after a visit to his homeland in 2009 that he discovered patients had to pay as much as $36,000 for one dialysis session. Considering that a patient requires three dialysis sessions per week, “my question was what happens when the patients’ money is finished?”
“I was told they cannot be dialysed anymore, which is essentially a death sentence for the patient,” Dr. Doobay noted even as he recalled approaching nephrologists at the McMaster University in Canada where he sought their help to work with him to see if a dialysis clinic could have been established in Guyana.
According to Dr. Doobay, Professor Ingram from McMaster University and his team, were gracious enough to supervise this undertaking. This allowed for the DMRC to open its doors in 2010 at Annandale, East Coast Demerara.
Although the intent was always to offer an affordable dialysis service to patients, Dr. Doobay noted that “Over the years we continuously raise funds to enable a reduction in cost for dialysis.”

 

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