Botswana: Sir Ketumile Masire Teaching Hospital (SKMTH) has shared that the Renal Unit of the hospital is currently undergoing upgrades. The hospital shared that the upgrade of the renal unit will help many community members get access to healthcare facilities.
The stakeholders have shared that the hospital is overseeing an ongoing upgrade of the Renal Unit. SKMTH’s Renal Unit has 5 treatment points and the upgraded service will be equipped with 14 Haemodialysis treatment points.
The expansion project that is being taken up by the hospital will enable the hospital to conduct three (3) dialysis sessions per day, accommodating 14 haemodialysis patients per session. This will allow the treatment of 42 patients per day and facilitate 600 haemodialysis dialysis sessions per month for both chronic kidney disease and acute kidney injury cases.
The Unit will give the haemodialysis treatments for both pediatric and adult patients. The hospital has confirmed that the new upgrades will offer comprehensive renal care services, including:
• Hypertension clinic
• Diabetes with kidney disease clinic
• Peritoneal dialysis
• Glomerulonephritis and pre-dialysis clinic.
• Kidney Biopsies
• Genetic (Inherited) kidney diseases
• Vascular access for haemodialysis
The upgraded Renal Unit will provide adequate resources for teaching and research – involvement of nursing and medical students in clinical rotations is a vital step toward building a skilled and dedicated healthcare workforce capable of meeting the growing demand for renal care.
The upgrade has also helped the hospital in the establishment of a Kidney Transplant Centre. Consultations, regulatory compliance and other preparations are ongoing for commissioning of the Centre.
The initiative aims to improve access to equitable Renal Care services across the country. The clinic is currently going through the necessary quality assurance and regulatory inspections for expansion.
The stakeholders will be duly updated on the launch of the upgraded Renal Unit. Currently the hospital representatives and other authorities are expected to remain patient and support the hospital as the upgrades happen.