Tikwere Adventures has called for increased public awareness of kidney disease, warning that inadequate information is hindering early detection and timely access to treatment in Malawi.
The call was made during a hike up Nkhoma Mountain in Lilongwe on Saturday, an activity organised by the club in partnership with Emmanuel Maliro’s Mphukira Foundation to mark Kidney Awareness Month which falls in October.
Tikwere Adventures member Lovemore Mazibuko said more needs to be done to disseminate information on kidney health, urging the media, health professionals and other stakeholders to help raise awareness across the country.
He said: “Not many people are aware of kidney health. We need players in the health sector, media and other stakeholders to help share this information far and wide so that people are well informed about kidney health and how to better care for their health.”
Mazibuko also highlighted the limited availability of dialysis services in Malawi, saying patients outside Lilongwe and Blantyre face additional challenges in accessing the life-sustaining treatment.
“We have got very few dialysis machines and the services are only in Blantyre and Lilongwe. We don’t have any in Mzuzu, not even in the Eastern Region,” he said.
Mazibuko called on the private sector, corporate organisations and individuals to support kidney health awareness campaigns and other interventions, stressing that addressing the challenges requires collective action.
The campaign draws inspiration from Maliro’s personal experience with kidney disease. In 2023, after becoming critically ill, the former actor and playwright discovered that he was born with one kidney and that it was failing.
His condition required him to seek treatment abroad, exposing him to the challenges of accessing specialised kidney care. The experience prompted him and his wife, Dr Susan Nambewe Brown, to establish Mphukira Foundation to promote kidney disease awareness, prevention and early detection.
During the hike, Charity Mazengera, a nurse from Kamuzu University of Health Sciences, urged people to adopt healthy habits to protect their kidneys.
She encouraged regular exercise, adequate water intake and routine medical check-ups while cautioning against the unsupervised use of herbal medicines.
Mazengera said some herbal remedies lack adequate scientific testing, established dosages and proven medical benefits, warning that their safety could not be assumed.
“Most local herbs have not been medically approved so they must be avoided,” she said.
She also urged people to seek medical attention and ensure proper management of existing health conditions that could increase their risk of kidney complications.
Malawi continues to face challenges in providing dialysis services. Kamuzu Central Hospital in Lilongwe and Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital in Blantyre are the two public referral hospitals offering the service while some private hospitals also provide the service at a fee.
