President Maithripala Sirisena said on Tuesday that illnesses related to the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) had become a national disaster in Sri Lanka.

Sirisena, who was conferred an award by The International Society of Nephrologists (ISN) for his “extraordinary contribution” to the fight against the Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu), said CKDu is endemic among poor farmers in 11 districts and villages of Sri Lanka.

There are 20,828 patients and 5,000 deaths per year. “It is a national disaster,” Sirisena said.

Sri Lanka estimates that as many as 400,000 people, or 5-6 percent of the population in the North Central Province are affected by CKD.

President Sirisena called for more measures to prevent the disease and meet the needs of the suffering patients and their families.

As the first national level program in the world, the Sri Lankan National Program against CKDu has made rapid progress in a short time, ISN President Adeera Levin said. “Sri Lanka is a model for other countries to follow.”

The Sri Lankan model emphasizes not only treatment but also prevention, care of patients and their families, research and education. The program is coordinated and led by a Presidential Task Force.

Expressing his views regarding this award the President said that this award strengthens the programme carried out by the Government for the welfare of the innocent kidney patients.

President Sirisena said that the government has a long journey to go to save innocent poor people of the country who are faced with this dreaded disease over the past two decades. He also requested for the contribution of everybody in this regard.

-Agencies