As part of our World Kidney Day 2026 activities, the Atim Ekanem Foundation visited the Kidney Dialysis Centre at St. Luke’s Hospital, Anua, in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
It was not a difficult visit to arrange. But it was a meaningful one.
Walking through a dialysis center puts everything in perspective. You see patients, real people from our communities, seated for hours while machines do what their kidneys can no longer do on their own. You understand, in a very direct way, what late-stage kidney disease looks like. And more importantly, you begin to ask a different question: how many of these cases could have been prevented?
What Is Kidney Dialysis?
For anyone unfamiliar with the term, dialysis is a medical treatment that removes waste products and excess fluid from the blood when the kidneys are no longer able to do so. It is typically required when a person has reached kidney failure — also called end-stage renal disease.
Dialysis is not a cure. It manages the condition and helps people stay alive. Most patients require dialysis sessions several times a week, for several hours each time. It is physically demanding, emotionally exhausting, and expensive.
Dialysis is not a finish line. It is what happens when prevention came too late.
The Cost Is Real
In Nigeria, the financial burden of dialysis falls heavily on patients and their families. Many cannot sustain regular sessions over time. Access to dialysis machines is also limited—not every state has a well-equipped center, and those that exist are often overwhelmed.
This is one of the reasons early detection and prevention are not just medical priorities—they are economic and social ones. When kidney disease is caught early, it can be managed with medication, lifestyle adjustments, and regular monitoring. These are far more affordable and sustainable than dialysis or transplantation.
What the Visit Reminded Us
The team at St. Luke’s Hospital, Anua, including the medical staff at the dialysis center, are doing important and demanding work. They deserve support, recognition, and resources.
But the most important lesson we took from that visit is this: the work of preventing kidney disease must happen long before a patient ever needs dialysis. It happens in conversations at home, in schools, in markets, and at community gatherings. It happens when someone learns that their blood pressure needs to be monitored. It happens when a person decides to drink more water and reduce their salt intake.
It happens when communities are informed.
What You Can Do Today
You do not have to wait for a health campaign to take your kidney health seriously. Here are simple steps you can take right now:
- Know your numbers. Get your blood pressure and blood sugar checked regularly.
- Drink enough water. At least 6 to 8 glasses of clean water a day supports kidney function.
- Be cautious with painkillers. Overuse of over-the-counter pain medication, especially NSAIDs like ibuprofen, is a common and underreported cause of kidney damage.
- Reduce your salt and processed food intake. High sodium diets increase blood pressure and put strain on the kidneys.
- If you have diabetes or hypertension, please work closely with your doctor to protect your kidneys.
The Foundation’s Commitment
The Atim Ekanem Foundation is committed to ensuring that kidney health remains a conversation happening at every level of our communities—not just in hospitals, but in homes, churches, schools, and markets.
Our World Kidney Day 2026 activities—the public rally in Uyo and the visit to St. Luke’s Hospital—were part of a broader effort to close the gap between what communities know and what they need to know to stay healthy.
We will continue to advocate, educate, and walk alongside kidney warriors and their families. We believe that informed communities save lives. And we believe that every life is worth protecting.
If you have questions about kidney health or want to support our work, please reach out to us. We are here.
