(MENAFN- Gulf Times) The Hamad Medical Corporation (HMC) recently organised the World Kidney Day (WKD) activities with a symposium on kidney health.
More than 300 healthcare professionals attended the two-day event which featured a series of scientific lectures and presentations that focused on kidney disease, a condition in which kidneys are damaged and can no longer perform their usual function of removing wastes and excess water from the blood.
The link between kidney disease and diabetes, metabolic and gestational disorders was also highlighted at the symposium.
Professor Ayub Akbari, a renowned Canadian nephrologist, spoke about gestational hypertension which he said can be linked to kidney disease and other maternal and foetal complications during the latter half of pregnancy.
Dr Riadh Abdulsattar, consultant of Nephrology and head of Qatar Centre for Organ Donation (Hiba), shared information about the Doha Donation Accord, describing it as a viable approach with strategies designed to address the shortage in the number of organ donors in Qatar.
"The Doha Donation Accord applies best practices in organ donation and is tailored to suit the demographic, economic, and social conditions in Qatar. The Accord incorporates the principles of fairness and equal opportunity to all residents of Qatar, regardless of nationality and it respects the dignity of all donors, in addition to encouraging individuals to donate their organs," he explained.
"Since its inception four years ago, the Doha Accord has had a positive impact on the number of organ donors. A remarkable increase has also been recorded in the number of both live and cadaveric (after death) donations," Dr Abdulsattar added.
Dr Awadh Rashid, nephrology consultant at HMC, observed that the symposium also shed light on screening for kidney disease, focusing on early detection to prevent the disease from progressing to kidney failure.
As part of the WKD activities, Fahad Bin Jassim Dialysis Centre in collaboration with HMC's Social Services Department and the Qatar Red Crescent, entertained patients with traditional performances and also presented them with different kinds of gift items.
Tiha al-Muhannadi, head nurse at the Dialysis Units at Hamad General Hospital and Primary Health Centres, said the event was inclusive of health awareness and educational aspects geared at promoting healthy kidneys.
Other activities marking WKD were held at HGH, some local schools, Qatar University, and Landmark Shopping Mall. These included blood pressure and blood sugar check-up, in addition to health educational sessions held by HMC's Kidney Health educators Muna Abdulbaseer, Faten Jamal, and Dr Jamal Aashour, also a nephrology specialist.
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