About 38 million people in Bangladesh are affected by some form of kidney disease, while about 80,000 patients require dialysis every year.
Symbolic image. Photo: Collected
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Symbolic image. Photo: Collected
Around 60-70% of kidney disease cases in the country can be prevented through increased awareness and healthy lifestyle, experts said at a roundtable discussion today (March 7).
He also said that about 38 million people in Bangladesh are affected by some form of kidney disease, while about 80,000 patients require dialysis every year.
The roundtable titled “Climate Change and Kidney Disease: Risks and Solutions” was organized by voluntary organization Kidney Awareness Monitoring and Prevention Society (KAMPS) ahead of World Kidney Day 2026 at the National Press Club in Dhaka.
Speakers at the discussion urged the government to reduce the cost of treatment, expand dialysis and treatment facilities across the country and launch a massive awareness campaign to prevent kidney disease and other life-threatening diseases.
He also stressed the need for strategies to improve access to early detection, prevention and treatment, highlighting the importance of collaboration between medical institutions, policy makers and the media.
The session was chaired and moderated by Dr MA Samad, President of KAMPS and Head of the Department of Nephrology at Anwar Khan Modern Medical College Hospital.
In his keynote address, Dr. Samad said that the theme of World Kidney Day 2026 highlights the role of climate change and environmental factors behind many unexplained kidney diseases.
Citing World Health Organization (WHO) data, he said kidney disease is one of the leading causes of death globally, with approximately 85 crore people currently suffering from the condition.
“Kidney disease is gradually becoming an epidemic in Bangladesh. Climate change and environmental factors have emerged as new threats in recent years,” he said.
Harunur Rashid, president of Bangladesh Kidney Foundation, said kidney disease will be difficult to control unless diabetes and high blood pressure – the two leading causes of kidney failure – are managed effectively.
He said that lack of awareness remains a big problem. He said, “If kidney disease is detected in the first or second stage, the treatment is easy. But once it reaches the third stage, it becomes very difficult to treat.”
Others who spoke at the event included Health Education and Family Welfare Secretary Jobida Begum, National Press Club President and Kaler Kantho Editor Hasan Hafiz, Bangladesh Renal Association President Nazrul Islam, Pediatric Nephrology Society of Bangladesh President Afroza Begum, Assistant Professor Farhad Hasan Chowdhury, Former Government Secretary Khondokar Mostan Hossain, KAMPS General Secretary Harisul Haque, Center for Injury Prevention and Research Bangladesh Executive Director Fazlur Rahman, Bangladesh Garment Manufacturers and Exporters Association. Director Mizanur Rahman Pintu, Bangladesh Poribesh Andolon general secretary Alamgir Kabir, Kumudini Women’s Medical College principal MD Abdul Halim, Bangladesh Cricket Board chief selector Ghazi Ashraf Hossain Lipu, KAMPS executive director Rezwan Salehin and poet Nasreen Begum.
The speakers appreciated KAMPS for its work over 22 years in preventing kidney disease, providing treatment at low cost and expanding dialysis facilities in different parts of the country.
