Soldier’s death exposes an overlooked assassin

In the past three weeks, Malawi has lost people I have shared jokes with, including former vice-president Saulos Chilima and lawyer Ralph Kasambara.

However, I would like to say something about musician Lucius Banda, aka ‘Soldier’ who died of kidney condition in South Africa on June 30 2024.

We used the same dialysis machine and sickbed.

What am I talking about?

Yes, I am also battling kidney failure and that is why you have not seen me hiking the mountains lately.

Until recently, I was passionate about hiking and marketing Malawi as a tourism destination, which can contribute to the country’s economic transformation.

However, my perspective shifted last year when I fell ill and realised that the country’s healthcare sector requires my assistance beyond promoting tourism. I had never been critically ill until February 2023 when I survived my first malaria bout which severely damaged my kidney to the extent that I stopped urinating for three days.

Medical checkups yielded a startling revelation: I was born with only one kidney and it was in a dire condition.

My levels of creatinine, a waste product from the digestion of protein and the normal breakdown of muscle tissue, had risen to 20 from the typical 1.2.

The search for treatment exposed the scarcity of kidney care facilities in Malawi.

I immediately sought treatment in India due to their exceptional expertise, technology and equipment.

On arrival, my creatinine level had soared to 35, a grave threat to my life as I had not urinated for three weeks.

Extensive examinations, including biopsies and genetic tests, revealed that I needed a kidney transplant.

With only one kidney, I felt particularly vulnerable when I was discharged with the recommendation to continue dialysis back home.

Upon returning to Malawi, I faced the stark reality of our healthcare system:

1. Limited facilities: In a nation of 21 million people, only five hospitals possess dialysis machines, three of them being private and unaffordable to many Malawians.

2. Scarce resources: Dialysis machines are available in just two out of the country’s 28 districts and each can only accommodate 20 patients daily.

3. High costs: Private hospital dialysis sessions cost approximately K500 000 per session, unaffordable for most Malawians. Those under medical schemes pay around K50 000 a month.

4. Travel and financial strain: Not many citizens from the remaining 26 districts can afford the regular travel required for treatment. Many patients visit hospitals only once a week due to financial constraints.

5. Information blackout: Information about renal care is limited and patients often undergo dialysis without fully knowing their condition. Medication varies and patients are unaware of the prescriptions they should receive.

6.Supply challenges: Malawi’s forex scarcity hinders the import of essential drugs, raising medication costs. Private hospitals bill exorbitant prices.

7. Diet and hygiene issues: Renal diet is generalised, lacking consideration for individual differences in electrolyte levels. Public hospitals may not provide a renal diet due to financial limitations. Inadequate sanitation and hygiene in public hospitals pose risks of disease transmission.

8. Costly tests: Laboratory tests are expensive in private hospitals, hindering frequent testing. Labs in public hospitals are constrained by busy schedules and inadequate equipment.

The results are typically shared only with doctors, not patients.

Experiencing these challenges firsthand, it breaks my heart that the whole country cannot do something about kidney treatment though kidney failure cases is rising due to unrestricted access to medicines without prescriptions, drug abuse and misinformation about aphrodisiacs.

The influx of unregulated, inexpensive alcohol among the youth is also worrisome.

Banda died in South Africa searching for better treatment, but the presidential adviser on arts and youth affairs was privileged.

Unlike the ‘Soldier of the Poor’, countless Malawians cannot access basic medical care due to extreme poverty or low unawareness.

The country needs up-to-date renal labs, dietary needs and medications to save lives and alleviate patients’ plight.

The healthcare sector, particularly renal treatment and care, requires substantial intervention.

Both Lucius and I left Malawi seeking better kidney treatment elsewhere.

We frequently texted and encouraged each other, but my friend lost the battle. As I write, I am still out of the country, away from my family. The extremely expensive search for lifesaving treatment can be stressful.

I wish we had proper facilities back home.

I wish I could be treated in my own country close to my children.

Lucius’ tragedy should remind everyone that kidney conditions are silent assassins in Malawi. It should be declared as a quiet crisis. Rest well, Mboba.