Hundreds of kidney patients have been leading a pathetic existence in Uddanam region of Srikakulam district with poor medical infrastructure in their vicinity. Officials are also yet to identify the reasons for the spread of the disease in many villages.
Medical teams, including those from the Harvard Medical School and the Indian Council of Medical Research (ICMR), have conducted studies in vain over the concentration of chronic kidney diseases (CKD) in Itchapuram, Kaviti, Sompeta, Palasa, Mandasa and Vajrapukotturu. The WHO has also identified Uddanam as one of the three places where kidney diseases are prevalent. Other two places are in Sri Lanka and Nicaragua.
It is estimated 4,500 patients died in last 10 years and around 34,000 people are currently suffering from kidney diseases. One can find at least one patient in each family in places like Uddanam Ramakrishnapuram, Sinooru, Lohalibanda (Vajrapu Kotturu), Lohalibanda, Limbugam, Gollapalem (Mandasa) Gollamakannapalli and Mamidipalli (Palasa).
Srikakulam Collector P. Lakshmi Narasimham said logical conclusion was need of the hour to identify the cause for spread of diseases while hinting that he would put extra efforts to save people. Social activist and senior doctor T. Jeeviteswara Rao urged the government to set up nephrology unit immediately to provide proper treatment to the patients since they were forced to travel all the way to Visakhapatnam for dialysis. RIMS-Srikakulam has the facility. But the institute is not able to cater to the needs of all the patients.
