Travelling back and forth at least three times a week for a four-hour dialysis is an additional stress for any patient suffering from a kidney disease.
In the UAE, there are reports of more than 2,000 patients receiving dialysis, and this number is expected to increase by 100 per cent by 2023.
The high incidence of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the country has been attributed to the prevalence of diabetes, obesity and hypertension.
Therefore, the introduction of home dialysis came as a big relief to Osha Saeed and her family.
"It is such a relief that my mother can have her dialysis sessions in her bedroom now," said Abdulla, Osha's son. Osha has been a kidney patient for years now and needs regular dialysis.
"We no longer need to travel back and forth to the hospital and she can receive the treatment in familiar surroundings," he said.
Some family members have had to leave their jobs to care for their loved ones, while others have relied on domestic helpers and drivers.
Home dialysis offers patients a number of benefits and NMC ProVita International Medical Centre, a subsidiary of NMC Healthcare, is providing this service to UAE patients through Reaya Mumayaza.
Multiple studies have shown that patients who undergo dialysis at home have better treatment outcomes and improved self-reported quality of life.
Home dialysis is less expensive, it reduces the risk of infection, and the lack of travel time is a significant benefit, especially for people with mobility issues. It also offers greater scheduling flexibility, fewer food restrictions, and better outcomes.
The treatment can be administered for longer times and more frequently, which makes it less stressful for the patient's body.
For majority of people, dialysis involves being connected to a machine in a hospital three to four times per week for at least three hours each time, and some patients have to travel long distances to receive the treatment.
"This home service provides each patient with their own dialysis unit to reduce the risk of infection. This will improve the efficiency of our medical care while eliminating unnecessary travel time for patients and reducing the burden on the UAE's in-patient dialysis centres," said Prasanth Manghat, CEO and executive director of NMC Healthcare.
The cost of the service is based on a number of factors, including the need of the patients.
According to the National Kidney Foundation, 10 per cent of the world's population is affected by CKD. While home dialysis is relatively new here, in Australia, Canada, Denmark, Finland, Iceland, Mexico, the Netherlands and New Zealand, around 20 per cent of people who receive dialysis opt for the home-based option.
Home Healthcare Services also offers haemodialysis done at patients' homes, but it is only for the elderly, bed-ridden Emiratis.
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