World Kidney Day and International Women’s Day were commemorated globally March 8, offering the opportunity to reflect on the importance of women’s health and specifically, kidney health.
In Saint Lucia, an entrepreneurship workshop was held at the Constitution Park, to commemorate the observance. Consultant Nephrologist, Dr. Merle Clarke provided the details.
“We held an open air workshop for International Women’s Day and World Kidney Day. It was organized by the St. Joseph’s Convent in collaboration with the Department of Gender Relations and SLISBA, and it’s all about empowering our girls. There are many facets to entrepreneurship, it’s not just about becoming a lawyer or a doctor, so we had several rural women’s organizations and various entrepreneurs displaying what they produce and the girls are learning from them. But with the day coinciding with World Kidney Day, we also spoke about kidney health.”
Dr. Clarke added that there is a clear need for higher awareness, lifestyle changes and timely diagnosis.
“Taking care of the kidneys means taking care of yourself and to keep your kidneys healthy is fairly simple. We all know it is just a question of keeping your weight in check, drinking adequate amounts of water, not smoking, and if you are diabetic or hypertensive, ensuring that your numbers are under control. Of course diabetes and hypertension makes up 30 percent of chronic kidney disease but the are other pathologies such as Lupus. It is one of the causes of chronic kidney disease.”
Activities planned for World Kidney Day culminated on Sunday with a celebratory sports day organized by the Saint Lucia Renal Association.
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