Yobe residents beg Buni for dialysis centre as kidney disease crisis persists

Residents of Bade Local Government Area in Yobe State have urgently appealed to Governor Mai Mala Buni to establish a dialysis center in Gashua, highlighting the severe suffering endured by kidney disease patients due to the lack of local treatment facilities. The community reports that patients and their families are forced to travel long distances to Damaturu, the state capital, for life-saving dialysis, compounding their health challenges.

This plea comes amid growing concerns over the high prevalence of kidney disease in Bade LGA, a health crisis that residents say has claimed hundreds of lives over the past decade. While dialysis services are provided free of charge at the Yobe State University Teaching Hospital in Damaturu, the journey itself imposes substantial financial, emotional, and physical burdens on patients, many of whom are already weakened by their medical condition.

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The people of Gashua are going through a lot due to the lack of the dialysis centre. People are going to Damaturu, the state capital, for dialysis, which is costing patients and their families a lot. Many of these patients are already weak because of their medical condition. Some of them require multiple sessions every week, and the transportation costs alone have become a heavy burden on families.

"The people of Gashua are going through a lot due to the lack of the dialysis centre," said Hamza Muhammad Tasi’u, a resident of Bade LGA. "People are going to Damaturu, the state capital, for dialysis, which is costing patients and their families a lot. Many of these patients are already weak because of their medical condition. Some of them require multiple sessions every week, and the transportation costs alone have become a heavy burden on families."

Relatives often spend days away from home accompanying patients, while others resort to borrowing money to cover transportation and feeding expenses. Abdullahi Kaigama, a member of the Save Gashua Kidney Disease Initiative, emphasized the urgency, stating, "Many families in Gashua have lost loved ones to kidney disease. Almost every household knows someone who has been affected by this tragedy." He added, "We are appealing to Governor Mai Mala Buni to build a dialysis centre in Gashua because it will greatly reduce the suffering of patients."

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Many families in Gashua have lost loved ones to kidney disease. Almost every household knows someone who has been affected by this tragedy. We are appealing to Governor Mai Mala Buni to build a dialysis centre in Gashua because it will greatly reduce the suffering of patients.