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celebration of World Kidney Day (WKD), the Cayman Islands Health
Services Authority (HSA) will be providing free health screenings on
Thursday 12th March from 8:00am – 1:00pm in the Cayman Islands
Hospital Atrium. Screenings include blood pressure, glucose,
cholesterol, height and weight measurements and urine test for those
ones that have hypertension and high glucose levels. All members of
the public are invited.

Celebrated
every year on the second Thursday of March, World Kidney Day’s
global theme is “Kidney Health for Everyone Everywhere – from
Prevention to Detection and Equitable Access to Care” with the aim
to increase awareness of the importance of our kidney health and
reduce the impact of kidney disease and its associated problems
worldwide.

“Persons
with diabetes, hypertension and a family history of kidney disease
have a higher risk of developing chronic kidney disease (CKD), said
Dr. Iheonunekwu Nelson, HSA Internist/Nephrologist. “However, it is
important for everyone to take a vested interest in their kidney
health as CKD affects 1 in 10 persons globally”.

“The
severity of chronic kidney disease varies from patient to patient,
however this is an incurable disease and can lead to lifelong
dialysis. Locally, we have the resources to provide early detection,
treatment and management. We currently provide hemodialysis to 67
patients in our Dialysis Unit and in 2018 we had a crude mortality of
9 percent. Our dialysis unit caters to all local dialysis patients
and visitors with 11 beds operating six day per week.”

The
screening acts as a primary prevention measure and offers those who
believe they are at risk of kidney-related illnesses the opportunity
to learn more about preventive behaviours. Attendees will be able to
speak to a variety of clinicians including nurses, a physician and
dietitian.

On
Thursday evening a special presentation on chronic kidney disease
prevention by HSA internist Dr. Raymonde Rohan-Moving will take place
from 5:00-6:00pm in the Hibiscus Conference at the Cayman Islands
Hospital. The presentation is open to the public and will offer
Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits to medical professionals
who attend.

Visit
www.hsa.ky for more information and
services offered at the Cayman Islands Health Services Authority.