St Kitts and Nevis: Junior Health Minister Williams addresses Nevis on World Kidney Day

St Kitts and Nevis: On World Kidney Day, celebrated on March 10, 2022, Hazel Brandy-Williams, Junior Minister of Health and Gender Affairs, addressed Nevis.

“On the day, the World Kidney Day Joint Steering Committee declared that this year (2022) will be celebrated as “The Year of Kidney Health for All”. The day aims to raise awareness about the overall health and reduce the impact of kidney associated disease across the world,” the junior minister stated.

She further added, “In 2022, the campaign will act as a bridge to improve kidney health through increased education and awareness about kidney health.”

The junior health minister further stressed that chronic kidney disease is a health crisis that affects people living worldwide. While sharing the statics, Williams claimed, “Approximately 850 million people suffer from some type of kidney disease, and around 38 million people lost their lives.”

She further mentioned that the deaths because of chronic kidney diseases have been increasing daily, and people presenting with end-stage kidney disease have also increased. She notified that Nevis has reported that people ranging between 33-year and 74-year have been seeking dialysis treatment.

She added, “We want to educate people and encourage them to get their kidneys checked if they have any of the high-risk facts, including diabetes, hypertension, obesity or a family history of kidney disease. Our ministry has further recommended engaging in physical activity for at least 30 to 60 minutes and must have a healthy diet as well as a lot of water with would help in maintaining kidney healthy and sound.”

She further expressed joy for joining hands with the Nevis Renal Society to host the educational sessions and screening activities for many years. She further mentioned, “I must commend this organisation for its continued partnership. They have demonstrated their commitment to all aspects of renal health over the last 20 plus years.”

The people were invited to join the World Kidney Day Mobile Health Screening, which was organised by the Health Promotion Unit, in collaboration with the Taiwanese ICDF on March 10.

The event was concluded with a resolution, which promised to promote “Kidney Health for All”.