Ek Chammach Kam Campaign

World Kidney Day will be celebrated on March 8 with an aim to raise awareness about kidney and its importance. Programs and events are organized around the world as part of the awareness campaigns. People are educated about the kidney disease, risk factors and preventive behaviors. The aim is to reduce the kidney disease frequency and health issues related to it.

Every year, World Kidney Day has a theme and this year it is Kidney and Women’s Health. Chronic kidney disease or CKD is one of the common health issues, with around 195 million women affected by it across the world. CKD can lead to kidney failure and death. In India, 17.2 percent people from urban areas suffer from kidney disease. This year, on World Kidney Day Dr. Bhupendra Gandhi’s Amar Gandhi Foundation (AGF) is initiating a campaign called Ek Chammach Kam (One spoon less) to limit the intake of salt. Over 150 senior-most nephrologists from Mumbai are coming together to raise awareness about the negative effect of salt intake in kidney disease. They want to highlight the high salt consumption among Indians.

Dr. Bhupendra Gandhi says, “Chronic kidney disease is a ‘SILENT KILLER’; it usually has no significant symptoms until it has reached later stages where a patient is not left with many choices of treatment.”The aim of the campaign is to make people aware of the kidney disease and encourage them to make positive lifestyle changes.

The ‘ek chammach kam’ campaign will be run on the social media platforms of Amar Gandhi Foundation and Mumbai Kidney Foundation (MKF). According to Dr. Umesh Khanna, Senior Nephrologist & Chairman of Mumbai Kidney Foundation, “Women in particular love eating ‘chatpata’ food, a craving that leads to excess salt consumption. They must observe and monitor the same, as well as ensure low salt consumption in their families.”

Senior Nephrologist, Dr Bhavesh Vora says, “People who are diabetic, hypertensive, obese or have a heart condition have a higher risk of kidney disease. In the light of all the eye-opening facts stated hereby, spreading awareness about a regular checkup of kidney health for early detection of chronic kidney disease is a must!” A free urine test and blood test have been organized by MKF and AGF on March 8 for early detection of the kidney disease. You can get tested at any branch of Suburban Diagnostics laboratory on the day.

Here are some data provided by the nephrologists: As per the World Health Organization, the prevalence of chronic kidney disease is estimated to be 8 to 16 percent in adults above the age of 30 globally. In India, 17.2 percent of people in urban areas are affected by the disease, according to a study published in the BMC Nephrology journal. One of the major risk factors is diabetes and over 69 million Indians suffer from Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

The numbers are expected to be 140 million by 2040. Another risk factor is obesity and it affects over 135 million Indians. In India, 60 percent of chronic kidney disease patients either suffers from high blood pressure or are diabetic.