At least 54 patients with kidney-related complications die in the country every day, according to data of the Kidney Foundation, Bangladesh.

At present, approximately 20 million individuals in Bangladesh are grappling with kidney-related ailments, including nearly 80,000 with end-stage kidney failure, while around 40,000 die every year due to complications associated with dialysis or organ transplant, it also revealed.

Highlighting the pressing issue of donor scarcity in the country, nephrology experts from home and abroad said although kidney transplant is the best form of treatment for patients with end-stage kidney disease, the number of organs for transplant cannot be increased due to small number of donors.

They made the remarks yesterday during inauguration of the 4th Bangladesh-Korea conference on Live and Deceased Donor Kidney Transplantation, 2024, at Kidney Foundation, Bangladesh in Dhaka's Mirpur.

The two-day conference was jointly organised by Kidney Foundation and Society of Organ Transplantation, Bangladesh, in cooperation with Korea University Anam Hospital, Korean Society of Transplantation, VITALLINK Korea and Raphael International.

Speakers at the event highlighted recent knowledge and achievement in the field of kidney transplant and dialysis and covered important aspects of relevant recent development.

Professor Harun Ur Rashid, founder and president of Kidney Foundation, said organ transplants could work well in Bangladesh if there were enough donors and recipients available.

Speaking at the chief guest, National Professor AK Azad Khan, also president of the Bangladesh Diabetic Association and chairman of Bangladesh University of Health Sciences, Dhaka, stressed the importance of harnessing collective efforts to maximise the benefits of organ transplantation.

Prof Jermy Chapman, editor-in-chief of Australian Transplantation Journal, said deceased organ donation provides perhaps the most cost-effective treatment to patients with end-stage organ failure, especially for kidney failure.

However, more donations from deceased individuals are required, alongside investment and infrastructural development that are critical to success, as well as engagement of the community and religious leadership, he added.

Professor Curie Ahn, secretary-general of the Asian Society of Transplantation, stressed the importance of raising awareness about kidney transplantation as it is a cost-effective alternative to dialysis, and called upon both government and private organisations to initiate projects to save lives by promoting transplantation.