Ceylon Today Editorial

Act against CKDu before it’s too late

02 November 2016

The Chronic Kidney Disease of unknown aetiology (CKDu) has become one of the most prevalent diseases in the country, with patients being identified in over 12 districts. Although many a research material has been published and has made the limelight in public, it is rarely that the matter is given enough attention.

Recently, the Ministry of Health announced that the Chinese Government has promised to assist Sri Lanka to find reasons for the disease and its unknown aetiology in order to find a cure. This definitely is a welcome point in the matter as it is about time that our own government paid attention to serious research and development, which is something we lack as a country. If we are to become a developing country, that is taken seriously by other nations, research and development in any given field, especially medical, is a must. However, it is also a field where we lack in.

Sri Lanka is mostly dependent on outside research material. For example, for mental health research Sri Lanka obtains it mostly from the Indian National Institute of Mental Health and Neurosciences. Likewise, other research materials that are put to use (rarely) are from other countries.

It is not because we do not have our own researchers, scientists and scientific analysts. This is because we do not pay much attention to the contributions they make in form of scientific research. For example, as mentioned before, many papers have researched, analysed, dissected and thoroughly investigated into the origins of the chronic kidney disease that has run rampant in the country. Many a person has sought answers in order to find a cure for the disease. Yet, our authorities simply don't pay any attention to them.

When our local intelligence has proven more than capable in studying a disease, it is sad the government is being more and more dependent on other countries.

China is expected to assist Sri Lanka in determining the causes of the chronic kidney disease, find cures, develop the skills of health ministry officials, provide equipment that will help identify the symptoms at an early stage and to build a database on identified and diagnosed patients.

A team from China is due to arrive in Sri Lanka in December to help implement this agreement. A Memorandum of Understanding was also signed between Minister of Health Dr. Rajitha Senaratne and Vice President of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Prof. Zhongli Ding.

Although this is commendable, the government should pay more attention to taking into consideration the local academics. Obtaining the assistance from China might not be a bad thing entirely, if it is implemented properly to strengthen the medical research and development facilities and for the overall improvement of our health care system.

President Maithripala Sirisena, being the vocal hero of the farmers, has always been vocal about the disease and the havoc it has wreaked upon the agriculture sector of the country -- with the main cause of the disease speculated to be chemical fertilizer use. It is good that the President has taken steps to show that he is not all talk and no work; the Memorandum with China to assist in medical research shows that at least he's doing something. But one can also argue whether this is enough and whether this surmounts all the talk he has done.

Obviously not and much more can be done with regards to the matter. After all, it is a deadly disease that is not only threatening our population, but also threatens our economic.

Imagine a scenario where the land has become unusable to the unregulated use of chemical fertilizer and weedicide, farmers and their legacy of a diseased generation who have been rendered useless for work due to their deteriorating health. It will surely be the end of our country.

At the end it will not be the forces of international conspiracies or conflict instigated by extremism and racism that will destroy our country – it will be our ignorance of a singular disease that we allowed to wreak havoc. This should not come to pass.