‘Pratiksha’ Brings Early Intervention for Kerala’s Youngest Kidney Patients

The Kerala government will be launching a path-breaking initiative, Pratiksha (Paediatric Renal Assessment, Treatment, and Intervention in Kerala State) by the end of April 2025. The initiative seeks to tackle the rising incidence of kidney-related diseases in children through early detection and holistic care.

 

Health Minister Veena George stressed that the program will concentrate on detecting congenital kidney and urinary tract anomalies during antenatal scanning to enable early intervention. Children diagnosed with renal diseases will be enrolled under the scheme for ongoing follow-up treatment. The initiative also aims to mitigate the load of chronic kidney disease (CKD) and avert the requirement for dialysis or transplantation in the later phase.

 

A special portal will be created for case registration and treatment coordination through district early intervention centers (DEICs). Five medical colleges, with Sree Avittam Thirunal Hospital in Thiruvananthapuram as the central hub, have been identified as treatment centers. In its later stages, Pratiksha will provide renal transplant surgeries.

 

By establishing a database of the high-risk group and encouraging early intervention measures, the program seeks to enhance better health outcomes as well as a reduction in socioeconomic burden of the kidney diseases upon families in Kerala.

 

Sources: The New Indian Express, portal.nabh.co