Yobe community unveils crowdfunding to combat kidney disease

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Residents of Bade Local Government Area of Yobe State have resorted to crowdfunding to support a medical outreach for people battling kidney disease, amid prolonged calls for the state government to establish a dialysis centre in Gashua, the local government headquarters.

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Led by a medical doctor and indigene of the area, Dr Hamza Tasi’u, the initiative seeks to ease the burden on patients who travel to Damaturu, the state capital, for dialysis, while drawing renewed attention to the kidney disease crisis affecting Gashua and neighbouring communities.

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Tasi’u told PUNCH Online in an exclusive interview on Monday that the decision to organise the medical outreach was prompted by the increasing burden of kidney disease and the difficulties patients face in accessing treatment.

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He said residents suffering from kidney disease often had to travel to Damaturu, the state capital, for dialysis, a journey that many families could not afford to make regularly.

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“We are doing this to support our people. The people of Gashua who are battling kidney disease have to travel to the state capital, Damaturu, for dialysis. This is costing many family members. And a lot of families are not having the capacity to take their loved ones to the state capital,” he said.

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According to him, residents, particularly young people in the local government, had for years drawn the government’s attention to the need for a dialysis centre in Gashua, but their appeals had yet to produce the desired result.

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He said residents had also used the “Save Gashua” initiative to press the government to provide the facility.

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Tasi’u said the medical outreach was part of efforts by the community to respond to the immediate needs of residents while continuing to demand government intervention. He said the situation had become more urgent because of deaths associated with kidney disease in the area.

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“We found it necessary to start crowdfunding because kidney disease is claiming the lives of the residents,” he said.

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He added that although the state government had promised to build a dialysis centre in Gashua, the promise had yet to be fulfilled.

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A nursing officer and Bade resident, Yusuf Nadabo, also called on the Buni administration to prioritise the health of residents by providing essential healthcare facilities. Nadabo said the provision of critical healthcare infrastructure should be a major responsibility of the government.

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“The governor should prioritise the health of his people before any other thing. Health should be a priority for every government,” he said.

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PUNCH Online gathered that kidney disease affecting communities in Bade and neighbouring areas had remained a major public health concern for decades.

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Communities including Gashua and Jakusko, located within the Komadugu-Yobe Basin, have recorded cases of kidney failure, resulting in significant morbidity and mortality over the years. The prevalence of the disease has prompted scientific investigations to determine its causes and possible preventive measures.

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The Yobe State Government has sponsored a team of researchers to investigate the causes of the kidney disease affecting Bade and surrounding communities. The lead investigator, Professor Mahmoud Maina, disclosed in Damaturu about two months ago that findings from the long-awaited study were expected within the next few months.

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The outcome of the research is expected to provide a better understanding of the factors responsible for the kidney disease and guide efforts to address the problem.

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When contacted, the Yobe State Commissioner for Health, Muhammad Lawan Gana, said the government was making efforts to address the situation. “The government is trying its best to solve the problem. A dialysis centre will soon be built”, Gana said.

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The residents, however, said they would continue with the medical outreach campaign as they awaited government action on the dialysis centre.

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They said the outreach was intended to provide immediate support to affected residents, while the government remained responsible for providing a permanent dialysis facility in Gashua and addressing the broader healthcare needs of the community.

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