National Renal Care has opened a new Home Therapies Centre of Excellence in Richards Bay, which is a first of its kind for Zululand and its surrounding areas. The Home Therapies Centre of Excellence has experienced and qualified clinicians that deliver consistent, high quality and holistic care to patients.

Dr SC Coka, a Specialist Physician and Nephrologist, having been motivated by witnessing the escalating burden of endstage renal failure disease (ESRD), has been instrumental in the establishment of this centre. Together with National Renal Care (NRC), they had a vision of increasing access of care to the Zululand patients and ultimately prevent the progression of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) into ESRD.

Sr Bongeka Mkwanazi and Sr Silindile Makwhasa run the centre under the supervision of Sr Sebe Chonco and guidance of Dr Coka. NRC Home Therapies Centre of Excellence offers dialysis for patients living with kidney failure or renal disease. The centre offers chronic haemodialysis, assisted peritoneal dialysis and acute dialysis services.

What is dialysis?

Dialysis is the major treatment for kidney failure. It is the medical word for filtering waste products and removing fluid from your body that your kidneys are no longer able to remove.

Haemodialysis

Haemodialysis is a process by which excess waste products and water are removed from the blood by using a dialyser, or artificial kidney. This form of treatment means the blood is transported outside the body through the dialyser via a specially created vein in the forearm known as arterio-venous fistula. This process requires the use of a machine.

In haemodialysis, the blood channels through tubing to the dialyser. One haemodialyises session takes about four hours. The actual dialysis treatment is controlled and monitored by a dialysis machine. Chronic haemodialysis patients require an access graft or fistula, which is surgically inserted.

Peritoneal Dialysis

Peritoneal Dialysis is performed by the patient in the comfort of their own home after thorough training has been carried out by our team with the patient and their family members.

Peritoneal dialysis is performed by introducing dialysate solution into the peritoneal (abdominal) cavity through a silastic catheter. The dialysate solution is left in the peritoneal cavity for several hours to collect waste products and excess fluid from the blood.

The most common forms of peritoneal dialysis used are Continuous Ambulatory
Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) and Automated Peritoneal Dialysis (APD). CAPD is done manually without a machine and functions much like the kidneys do. It constantly cleans the blood, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Typically a patient exchanges it four times a day.

APD is dialysis at home with a cycler machine. Each night before going to sleep, the patient connects his/her set to a long tubing set, attached to dialysate bags on the cycler. The machine does the exchanges while they sleep. Treatment is provided using the Homechoice Claria APD system with the Sharesource remote patient management platform designed to allow healthcare provider to securely view, collect and act on patients’ treatment remotely without the patient having to travel to the clinic.

Patients that participate in the programme save costs related to travel and time spent visiting healthcare facilities, which is extremely beneficial for the patients residing in far outlying areas in the district. Patients on peritoneal dialysis lead very normal lives and may continue to work, attend school or even travel.

As per Dr Coka, PD as a therapy has many benefits to patients and allows for flexibility with their lifestyle. Once patients are well versed in their treatment, they can drink a bit more fluid and adjust their ultrafiltration as required. Staff at the NRC Home Therapies Centre of Excellence are fully qualified in nephrology and are present throughout procedures to ensure patient comfort and safety.

Patient support

Living with dialysis is a major lifechanging event. The dependence on artificial life support devices and major lifestyle changes it requires, have a drastic impact on a patient’s independence, finances, family and social life, and ultimately, the patient’s emotional wellbeing. For that reason, NRC Home Therapies Centre of Excellence highly values the importance of patient education.

“We believe that educating a patient before he/she develops kidney failure or starts with dialysis is very important so that the patient can make an informed choice and know his/her options,” said Sr Mkwanazi.

NRC Home Therapies Centre of Excellence currently treats 20 patients on dialysis and has more than 107 patients who form part of the Healthy Start programme.

The Healthy Start programme is unique to NRC. The Healthy Start pre-dialysis programme provides patient lifestyle education for patients with early stages of kidney disease, facilitating retention of patient’s residual renal function and fostering good quality of life. Preventative strategies include early detection and treatment, meticulous hypertension control, strict glycaemia control, anaemia management, prevention of bone disease and management thereof, and appropriate dietary and lifestyle changes.

At NRC Richards Bay they also assist patients with training and assessments and once they are happy with a patient’s progress, they allow the patient to do his/her own dialysis at home. Telephonic support by trained staff is available on standby 24/7, in the event that a patient needs urgent assistance.

“We are very passionate about our patients and our patients love us. We pride ourselves in building a personal relationship with each of our patients and their families,” said Sr Makwhasa.

“We still have a long way to go to achieve the goals and targets that we hope for, but as sure as the sun comes up every morning, myself and my team shall get there,” said Dr Coka.

Operational hours

Monday to Friday – 07:00 – 16:00 | Saturday – 07:00 – 13:00 | Sunday – CLOSED
Contact : 072 178 4102 OR 071 677 2857 | Old Mutual Building, corner Lira Link, Richards Bay