CKDu research: Why the Health Ministry? January 6, 2014, 7:42 pm
This letter refers to a newspaper item "Funds wasted on kidney disease research – GMOA’ which appeared in The Island of 1 Jan. 2014. According to this news item, the Government Medical Officers’ Association (GMOA) General C ommittee member Dr. Navin de Soyz a accused the government of allocating Rs. 350 million for the National Science Foundation (NSF) to conduct research on C hronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (C KDu). Dr. Navin de Soyza has warned that it was the sole responsibility of the Health Ministry’s Epidemiology unit to conduct research on C hronic Kidney Disease of unknown etiology (C KDu).
C KDu also called C hronic Renal Failure (C RF) has been reported in several areas of Sri Lanka, mostly in the North C entral Province (NC P). A large number from Badulla and Kurunegala districts are also affected by C KDu. The number of C KDu patients in registries from MOH offices in C KDu endemic areas by 2010 is 20336. Now this number is likely to be around 25,000.
The Ministry of Health (MOH) initiated a comprehensive research study in Oct. 2008 on C KDu to be carried out in collaboration with WHO, C olombo. Details are on the website http://www.whosrilanka.org/LinkFiles/WHO_Sri_Lanka_Home_Page_HL_Dec08_Insert_C KDu.pd f The study was conducted to find the causal factor/s of C KDu and other related issues. The study was to be completed by Sept. 2010. However, the findings of this study were unofficially released only in 2013 by the Ministry of Health. The report is titled ‘investigation and Evaluation of C hronic Kidney Disease of Uncertain Aetiology in Sri Lanka’.