Brief illness, the biggest killer disease in Nigeria

Ever since I was a kid, brief illness has been the single biggest killer of Nigeria. The reason for this is that there are many diseases and illnesses that have been mis-diagnosed. I lost my aunt over a year ago to Kidney disease, but what surprised me the most was that there are only 2 dialysis machines in the whole of Ogun State where I come from. You could imagine the demands on those machines.

A dialysis machine is a is primarily used to provide an artificial replacement for lost kidney function (renal replacement therapy) due to renal failure. As of 2007 over 2,000 people in the USA were dialysing at home more frequently for various treatment lengths. So when there is a hospital without a dialysis machine you could see the extent to which our healthcare system is in dire need of a major revamp.

It is simple treatments that have been around for many years that are lacking, and are the greatest cause of deaths when this should never be the case. It does not take a load of letters behind ones name to know that many Nigerians are dying unnessarily, and the solutions to prevent these deaths can be easily acquired. Its time to stop brief illness dead in its tracks by doing the right thing.