The Association of Patients with Renal Failure (AAIR), which shelters 1050 people suffering from this disease in Luanda alone, says the situation these citizens go through continues to be glaring, with emphasis on the lack of transport, lack of food, as well as such as lack of employment. Many, due to their illness, were laid off and depend on a charitable hand to feed themselves.
He always liked working in the retail sector, specifically in supermarkets. He had a catheter in his foot, which was later removed and he underwent chest surgery. At his place of work he was responsible for the butcher’s department and, one day, while preparing a picanha, the wound on Rui Domingos’ chest opened and the director, who was doing the inspection service, witnessed that scene.
The following day, he was called to the human resources area, where he received information that he could not continue working, due to his health situation. They calculated the three years of work, terminated it and compensated him.
“I haven’t been working since 2016.
Working and undergoing hemodialysis treatment is very hard. I live on help from friends and people in good faith, as well as family”, said Rui Domingos, resident in the Sapú neighborhood, with his wife and five children. He even tried to look for a job in other companies, but due to his health condition he was unable to do so. He believes that if there were bosses who understood his health condition, they would do the job.
Since working for other people has not been possible, he argues that if the Angolan State provided a small amount of credit so that these patients could do business, it would be a benefit for many. “Then there are other problems, as some people don’t wake up well because of high blood pressure, feeling unwell, we take some pills that are very strong and sometimes cause nausea, or if you don’t eat on time you can vomit. .
You cannot stop taking the medicine because it protects the TPH, otherwise you will end up in a wheelchair”, said the 48-year-old citizen. He advises the government to take care of the situation of patients with kidney disease, providing a subsidy, or with the Kwenda program, for example, a sewing machine, popcorn machine, something that can support them.
Problems with transporting personnel
The Association of Patients with Renal Failure, which has 1050 members in Luanda alone, also lists numerous problems that affect the class, from the lack of transport to help patients on consultation days, the lack of basic food baskets and financial resources to start a small business that can help with family income. They have received complaints from patients at the Army clinic, who have not had transport to support hemodialysis staff for more than six months, which is seen as a painful situation.
They also received complaints from patients at Hospital Josina Machel about intermittency in the operation of transport, difficulties in the process of collecting staff, since only staff on the first and second shift benefit, while those on the third shift, for safety reasons, benefit. stays aside.
The vice-president of the AAIR association, Dionísio da Silva, recognized the gains in this sector, the investments made in recent times by the Government in favor of kidney patients, with emphasis on the inauguration of Centro Sol, but still said that they need more support from the Ministry of Health, Ministry of Transport, Commerce, among others. “We have to leave the house and, after hemodialysis, looking for a taxi stop to get back home has been quite complicated for us. Transport is one of the biggest problems we have”, said the leader.
Hemodialysis sessions, which last up to four hours, and are held three times a week, operate in three different periods, from 6 am to 11 am, from 12 pm to 4 pm and from 5 pm to 9 pm. Dionísio da Silva also said that another problem that also affects kidney patients is the lack of distribution of basic food baskets to their members – that their diet must be regulated. On the other hand, many families are going hungry because the breadwinner is suffering from kidney disease and is unable to continue providing for their children.
“Before the pandemic, some families received basic food baskets through AJAPRAZ, a situation that has no longer occurred,” he said. Dionísio da Silva, who has been undergoing hemodialysis for 15 years, dreams of holding a meeting at the highest level, with the Secretaries of State, Ministers of Health and Transport, as well as the President of the Republic, in order to discuss the calamitous situation due to that kidney patients go through, so that there is a paradigm shift.
“It really is just God here”
Resident of the Bita Progresso neighborhood, with 12 children and a wife, João Cabral leaves everything in God’s hands because he doesn’t live, he tries to survive. It’s one problem after another, which started with blindness, then diabetes and high blood pressure, all the way to kidney failure. “I’ve been in this condition for a year, unfortunately, even though I lost my vision, on hemodialysis appointment days I always have to ask family and friends to take me to the stop that I feel is very far from home. It’s been difficult for us.
It really is just God here”, he lamented. He made it known that the situation has been complicated every day, as his financial condition has not allowed him to help with the family’s expenses. He has also had a consultation for his first cataract and has been waiting for the second operation for a year. “To support the family depends on what each person brings, a little from here and there, AJAPRAZ has also helped with something, and we are getting by. So, today we have nothing to eat, but we are standing, with the grace of God. And tomorrow is treatment day.
The path is forward, let’s get to the center to eat something”, he said. The interviewee would like the Government to look a little more into the social issue of kidney patients, because it has been a very embarrassing situation, especially for those patients who also have vision problems. “A basic food basket or a minimum amount so that these patients can get by and stop depending excessively on the help of family, friends, among others, would help a lot”, he concluded.