The 53rd edition of ISNCON 2023 was held from December 14 to December 16, 2023. The Local Organizing Committee in Kolkata hosted the event. It is the flagship Nephrology event in India, which brings faculty from across India and the world. NephroPlus presented 2 abstracts at the conference, which brings unique perspectives about kidney care in India, in low resource settings.
Hepatitis C infection has long been a concern in the hemodialysis community, with its prevalence attributed to the concentration of risk factors within dialysis units. Recognizing the critical need for treatment strategies, India’s largest dialysis provider, NephroPlus, has launched a ground-breaking initiative as a pilot program across 6 dialysis clinics from April to June 2023 covering 20 patients to combat Hepatitis C in Andhra Pradesh with patients covered by the Government Healthcare Scheme. Hepatitis C positive patients with clinical criteria were chosen and treated at the provider’s own cost. We chose the approach but due to the high cost of treatment which remains unaffordable for patients and there is no public program to support it. 100% of patients were successfully treated and the significant health system benefits include source reduction in the HD units, less infection risk for hepatitis C negative patients in the dialysis units and lastly decreased cost of care
It is previously known that mortality is higher in first 90 days across health systems, globally. The early transition period can be particularly challenging in low resource settings like patients under government Insurance in rural India. In an observational study over 3 periods less than one third patients started with arteriovenous fistula (a safe permanent access) in a rural cohort, over the first 90 days, less than half patients were able to get a permanent access done successfully. In addition, mortality rate increased from 24% in the first 90 days among those who started with a permanent access to 34% among those who got a permanent access done. It rose to 67% among those who remained on a catheter in the first 90 days.
Dr. Suresh Sankar, Senior VP, Global Clinical Affairs, NephroPlus emphasies, “Both the above studies bring unique insights regarding challenges and hurdles in providing ESKD in rural India. The findings on Hep C therapy, we believe this will pave the way for promoting public funding for Hepatitis C treatment for HD patients. The findings of our study on mortality is a clarion call for incremental steps urgently needed to decrease the significantly high mortality among rural socioeconomically challenged patients in India.”
According to Mr. Kamal Shah, Co-Founder of NephroPlus, “NephroPlus remains at the forefront of healthcare innovation, harnessing technology and strategic partnerships to deliver accessible, high-quality care to patients across India. As the program progresses, the insights gained will further inform and shape future initiatives aimed at eradicating Hepatitis C and enhancing the quality of life for hemodialysis patients.”
