Sri Lanka, Cuba and El Salvador for trilateral cooperation to curb CKD

President Maithripala Sirisena yesterday discussed trilateral cooperation for eradication of Chronic Kidney Disease of Unknown Etiology (CKDu) with medical experts from Cuba and El Salvador.

He pointed out that excessive use of chemical fertilizer caused the prevalence of CKDu in Sri Lanka.

According to the Cuban Ambassador Florentino Batista, although Cuba and El Salvador are agricultural countries with similar climates, the number of cases of kidney patients in El Salvador is very high as a result of their chemical fertilizer usage being equally high.

Head of the National Institute of Salud in El Salvador Dr. Carlos Manuel Navarro said that there are many similarities in kidney related diseases in the agricultural areas in his country and in Sri Lanka. Therefore, cooperation in this field will benefit both countries.

Prof. Raul Herrera of the Institute of Nephrology in Havana also assured his expertise for the prevention of CKDu in Sri Lanka.

Dr. Channa Jayasumana of the Department of Pharmacology of the Rajarata University, and roject Director of the Presidential Secretariat Asela Iddawela also took part.