We desperately need a dialysis centre in Linden – Pensioner

By Lakhram Bhagirat

At 72 years old, Phillip Bynoe endures the long and arduous journey from his home in Linden, Region 10 (Upper Demerara-Berbice), all the way to the capital city of Georgetown in Region Four (Demerara-Mahaica) for dialysis three times per week.
For even the healthiest person, travelling such long distances would take a toll on your body so imagine an elderly, not so healthy person having to make that journey of about 108 kilometres.
Bynoe started dialysis in 2018 – one year after his chronic renal failure diagnosis and ever since he has been advocating for the establishment of a dialysis unit in the mining town.
The father of seven moved to Linden in 1971 from Corriverton, Berbice, after he was assigned to a teaching post there. Ever since, he established roots there and built his family in the communities of Amelia’s Ward and Silvercity and today he is retired and operates a small business.

“My condition is known as chronic kidney disease and I was diagnosed with that condition in 2017. I did not pay much attention to it as I should have. That caused the disease to progress and I was stricken in 2018 and I came to this hospital – at that time I could hardly breathe, I couldn’t consume anything, I was vomiting all the time – and I was told I have to do dialysis.
“At my age, I couldn’t have a kidney transplant – I had many kidneys but they said it was too dangerous to risk kidney transplant – so in the circumstances I had to do dialysis. I started dialysis since then up to the present time I do dialysis three times a week for four hours each session,” the pensioner said.
Dialysis causes a lot of financial burden on the families since one session runs a tab of about $12,000-15,000. So, three times per week amounts to just about $45,000 for just one week and kidney failure patients have to take dialysis until they can do a transplant or until the end of their lives.
The dialysis process is filtering and purifying the blood – functions of the kidney – via a machine. It helps to keep your fluids and electrolytes when the kidneys cannot perform their functions.
In addition to dialysis costs, kidney failure patients have to endure the costs of supplements because the dialysis process does not just filter the toxins from the blood but also the good nutrients as well.

So, they would have to make sure they get the right vitamins and supplements and then they would have to pay transportation costs because most of the country’s dialysis units are centrally located in Georgetown.
For retired Bynoe, it is the combined effort of his children and the little income from his business that makes him able to afford his supplements and pay for dialysis sessions. However, it also takes a mental toll on him as well but he would just look at the bigger picture of him being able to be with his family a bit longer.
“When your kidney fails you have to get dialysis and if you skip one week you are a dead person. There are thousands of Guyanese who are walking around apparently healthy but may have stage 3 or stage 4 kidney failure and they don’t know it. Many times, they might find they can’t eat, breathe properly when they are sick and they try home remedies and then they would die without a proper diagnosis,” he said.
Bynoe is cognisant of the fact that he is not the only patient with a story but he is hopeful that changes can be made to better facilitate patients like himself.
“I am not the only person from Linden that do dialysis and what happens is that you travel to come from Linden and then you travel to go back to Linden after dialysis. Many doctors or dialysis patient would tell you that after dialysis you are weakened and to endure that trip to Linden after dialysis is not a good thing. Given the condition of the Linden-Soesdyke Highway, it is not recommended at all but we endure it because we have to. One of the things I want to really implore the Government to do is to have a top-notch dialysis centre at Linden,” he said.
He added that his current dialysis centre is one of the top-notch ones and petitioned the former Government to set up a unit at the Mackenzie Hospital in Linden but instead another firm was given it but to date, they have not set it up.
“The quality and professionalism of the staff, the nurses, the way they deal with patients and the sanitation and hygiene which are critical for dialysis for patients here is the best. It is the key. I personally, because of the dangers of the highway, I was pushing for this particular centre put up a proposal to the Government for under a unit. They [the Government] did not have to spend no money, they just had to provide the location and this centre visited the location at the Mackenzie Hospital, they made some recommendations as to what was to happen and what must be done but by some other means, another dialysis centre signed an MoU with the former Government.
“But for me, I would not use the centre even if it is free because of my concern about the sanitisation and hygiene process. My plea is for the Government – whatever arrangement they have with the other dialysis centre – is to have a look and whatever is possible go public by tender and get the best centre and let them do something to have them establish a centre in Linden,” Bynoe said from his dialysis bed.