Cayhill- The St. Maarten Medical Center will hold a kidney transplant information session at the University of St. Martin on Thursday, October 17, 2013 at 6:45pm-10:00pm
In St Maarten we have a growing population of persons who have a chronic kidney disease that may be caused by diabetes, high blood pressure and other disorders. When chronic kidney disease progresses to kidney failure over time, kidneys do not get better and patients will need dialysis for the rest of their life unless they are able to receive a kidney transplant.
Currently, the St. Maarten Medical Center gives treatment to about 36 dialysis patients, including patients from Saba and St. Eustatius. The hospital also gives treatment to tourists who require haemodialysis during their stay on the island.
This information session will inform medical doctors, medical insurances, other health care workers, patients with kidney diseases and their families about possibilities for patients with kidney failures to receive a kidney transplant.
Sometimes, family members of patients with a kidney disease may not fully understand what a chronic kidney disease means for an individual. The session is also to make people aware of chronic kidney disease and the possibilities of becoming a donor.
A successful kidney transplant provides a better quality of life because it allows greater freedom and often is associated with increased energy levels and a less restricted diet. It will also improve life for our dialysis patients and their family, socially, emotionally and psychologically.