In view of the high number of patients suffering from renal failure, the Ministry of Health has built a kidney center in Jeddah affiliated to King Fahd Hospital, where patients undergo hemodialysis two or three times a week. The sessions are determined according to the severity of the case. Hemodialysis is a treatment option for people who have chronic kidney disease that has progressed to end stage renal disease (ESRD), or kidney failure. Okaz/Saudi Gazette reporters visited the center and interviewed patients undergoing hemodialysis during Ramadan. Ahmad Al-Jadani, 42, who is married and has one son, said he developed the disease seven months ago. “I visited a urologist when I developed severe pain especially when I urinated. The investigations ordered by the doctor and the clinical examination showed that I was suffering from renal failure.” He said he was an employee at a private company and was given early retirement after he was diagnosed. He undergoes hemodialysis three times a week. He said he fasts during Ramadan without any problems and points out that patients with kidney failure are exempted from fasting under the Shariah. In a corner at the center Ahmad Saeed Al-Zahrani, 40, was waiting for his turn. He said he has been suffering from the disease for more than six years. He is married and has no children. He said he fasts in Ramadan and that sometimes he has a hemodialysis session during the day in Ramadan. He often spends all day in the dialysis room. Tala Abdullah, 50, who was undergoing hemodialysis when we met him, said he developed the disease more than six years ago and it has restricted his movement. He is married and blessed with seven children. “My wife looks after me and never leaves me alone for a minute. She supports me morally. Even when I go for the hemodialysis sessions she goes with me. Renal failure patients miss the spirituality of the holy month because we are confined to the white bed. I conduct hemodialysis three times a week.” Mona Ibrahim Bnagsh, social worker and training supervisor at the center, said the center also educates patients and visitors about the importance of organ donation, especially to young people. __
