BEST PROVIDERS OF SPECIALIST CARE
NEPHROLOGY SERVICE PROVIDER OF THE YEAR IN THE ASIA-PACIFIC
SUBANG JAYA MEDICAL CENTRE
Subang Jaya Medical Centre is a major player in the provision of nephrology ( kidney ) services thanks to its pool of well-respected consultant nephrologists who are also key opinion leaders in their field .
“ With its 18-bay Haemodialysis Unit manned by a dedicated team of staff nurses , the majority of whom have obtained a post-basic certificate in renal nursing , SJMC offers comprehensive kidney health services ,” Trish Hogan , the hospital ’ s CEO , told Global Health Asia-Pacific .
Nephrology is the branch of medicine dealing with the diseases and complications affecting the kidneys , key organs that filter out waste products and excess water from the blood that are then discharged in the form of urine .
A variety of causes , including genetic factors , injuries , and medicines , can damage the kidneys and make them unable to remove waste . In such cases , patients will require haemodialysis , a treatment that replaces this specific function of the kidneys by using a machine to clean the blood . Patients have two tubes inserted into their blood vessels , with one allowing the blood to flow to the machine , while the other lets it return to the body after the cleaning process . This is often a long-term treatment performed at a hospital several times a month . The only cure to avoid haemodialysis is a kidney transplant
Every week , over 50 patients check in at the SJMC Haemodialysis Unit to have their blood purified , opting for one of three dialysis shifts per day .
Dr Prasad Menon
This constant flow of patients ensures that the hospital ’ s nephrology experts keep sharpening their skills in treating severe kidney problems .
At the hospital , haemodialysis is carried out with single-use dialysers and high-flux membranes that ensure a high-quality filtering process by removing medium-size and large-size toxic molecules like β2 microglobulin , thus improving quality of life for patients who have to receive the treatment over the long term .
Outstanding safety is another hallmark of the Haemodialysis Unit at SJMC . The unit is able to boast that its overall bloodstream infection rate , a clinical measure used for quality assessment , is zero for patients treated there , said Hogan . In addition , all patients are screened for hepatitis B and C as well as the human immunodeficiency virus ( HIV ) as a precautionary measure before starting treatment . This extreme caution is
maintained during the therapeutic process when they are regularly assessed and their progress reviewed by healthcare personnel .
The hospital also offers specialist care for children with kidney problems . A paediatric nephrologist is on deck to diagnose and treat young patients with kidney or urinary tract disease , bladder problems , and kidney stones .
Not willing to rest on its laurels , SJMC plans to revamp its kidney services with a new haemodialysis centre of nearly 16,000 square feet expected to be up and running in the third quarter of 2021 . The new facility will house 39 treatment units , three ventilated isolation rooms , and two single rooms with an attached bathroom , as well as a counselling room and a waiting lounge for carers . It will be one of the region ’ s largest and most sophisticated centres for kidney health , said Hogan .
60 DECEMBER 2020 GlobalHealthAsiaPacific . com