On May 13, the reporter learned from the Ninth People's Hospital of Chongqing (hereinafter referred to as the "Ninth People's Hospital") that Wen Yan, a member of the hospital's medical team in Papua New Guinea (hereinafter referred to as "PNG"), completed the first maintenance peritoneal dialysis treatment in Port Moresby Hospital on May 8, opening a new chapter in renal replacement therapy in Papua New Guinea.
It is understood that Mr. Nathan Geibi is a 35-year-old uremia patient with a history of hepatitis B, leprosy, and tuberculosis. Previously, Nathan Geibi underwent hemodialysis at a local private hospital, which cost 850 kina (about 1,700 yuan) per dialysis and more than 10,000 kina per month. Because Nathan Geibi couldn't afford the high cost of dialysis, he had no choice but to give up treatment. Recently, because of his delirium, he was taken to Port Moresby Hospital by his family for treatment.
Wen Yan, an expert in nephrology of the 13th batch of PNG medical team and the city's Ninth Hospital, decided to undergo maintenance peritoneal dialysis treatment for Nathan Geibi after learning about his condition. However, this treatment has never been done in the country, and the local medical staff have no experience in treating it, and patients are even more hesitant.
Due to the urgency of the situation, Wenyan immediately trained the medical staff on peritoneal dialysis technology, explained the role and precautions of peritoneal dialysis to patients in detail, and purchased relevant materials for treatment from China at her own expense. On May 8, Hu Sheng, a general surgeon from the medical team, Damien Hasola, a urologist at Port Moresby Hospital, and Wen Yan completed peritoneal dialysis catheter placement.
After the operation, Wen Yan formulated a detailed follow-up treatment plan for Nathan Geibi, and guided the local medical staff to care for the patient's dialysis catheter and change fluids. Currently, the patient is recovering well.
It is understood that chronic kidney disease (CKD) is very common in PNG, and the inability of patients to maintain hemodialysis treatment is one of the important causes of death due to non-infectious diseases. Peritoneal dialysis is a low-cost treatment and is currently free of charge in PNG, and maintenance peritoneal dialysis treatment will significantly reduce the cost of medical care. The successful development of maintenance peritoneal dialysis technology has filled the technical gap in the treatment of kidney disease in PNG and built a new "bridge of life" for local uremia patients.
Reporter Chen Lijuan