This project will strengthen the healthcare system in Nicaragua, improving the only life sustaining treatment option available to thousands of young men suffering from the final stages of Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown cause (CKDu), dialysis. This disease is linked to poor work practices in the sugarcane fields, by improving the health care system we are also protecting fundamental human rights. Prevention of CKDu is the focus of LIF, but we must improve quality of care for those affected.
The department of Chinandega, Nicaragua, is the epicentre of the epidemic of CKDu affecting mainly young men working in the sugarcane industry. The only economically viable treatment option for them is Peritoneal Dialysis (PD). However due to an overburdened and underfunded healthcare system the quality of this treatment is currently insufficient. Without the access to proper treatment, being diagnosed with CKDu is a death sentence.
This project will EVALUATE, IMPROVE, EXPAND the current treatment program. The current public treatment program will be evaluated in order to develop practical recommendations on how to improve the current program. The next step will be to present our recommendations to the Nicaraguan Ministry of Health and international funders, in order for the recommendations to be implemented. Once implemented, the changes will ensure better outcomes and the program will be expanded to other hospitals.
This project will strengthen the Nicaraguan healthcare system's ability to provide PD treatment of better quality to thousands of patients in need while offering better quality of life to those affected with CKDu.
