Dialysis service in Raqqa overloaded with increasing patients

RAQQA, Syria (North Press) – A medical official at Raqqa National Hospital revealed on Sunday that the kidney unit is under pressure due to a shortage of dialysis machines compared to the increasing number of patients.

Zakariya Zireq, the unit’s coordinator, said 375 patients check in the hospital, but only 22 machines are available, with two of them out of service.

The unit conducts nearly 3,000 dialysis sessions every month and is the only one in Raqqa, serving both the city and countryside, in addition to areas under the control of the Syrian government.

The unit requires 10 additional machines to effectively cover increasing number of patients, he added.

More patients, 35 patients, come from areas held by the Syrian government, especially Sabkha and Madan, where no dialysis facilities are available.

Currently, the department does 95 dialysis sessions daily, and 2900 monthly session, Zireq noted.

He explained that the continuous operation of machines leads to breakdowns and that maintenance is costly.

The annual expenses of the kidney unit reaches about $1 million, he said.

Around 70 percent of patients require three sessions a week. Due to the increased demand and lack of machines, the unit has reduced session durations from the standard four hours to three.

By Zana al-Ali