Local Made Dialyzer Innovation In Support Of Treating Patients With Kidney Failure In Indonesia

JAKARTA Hemodialysis, or what is often called dialysis, is an essential medical procedure for final stage chronic kidney patients (end-stage rental disease). At this stage, the kidney function decreases drastically to below 15 percent, so that the body is no longer able to dispose of metabolic waste and excess fluids naturally.

Patients usually need to undergo this procedure 2'3 times per week to maintain their quality of life. The dialysis process also involves an analysis of the machine and an important tool called the dialysiser.

Dialyzer is tube-shaped with porous membranes that allow metabolic waste and excess body fluids to come out of the blood, helping to keep the body's function stable.

In Indonesia, the need for hemodialysis tools continues to increase along with the high prevalence of chronic kidney disease. Data from BPJS Health shows that dialysis is one of the largest-cost procedures, reaching IDR 2.9 trillion in 2023.

This figure shows the high cost of spending, especially because 85 percent of dialysis patients come from the productive age group. This of course can have a significant social and economic impact.

So far, almost all hemodialysis tools in Indonesia have been imported from other countries, such as China, Japan, and European countries. Dependence on imports not only increases costs, but also creates challenges in ensuring stable and affordable supply for patients.

As an effort to reduce dependence on imports, Indonesia is now starting to produce locally hemodialysis tools. One of the innovations is a domestically made dialysis known as RenaCare. The presence of this tool is an important step to meet the needs of kidney failure patients while increasing the independence of the national health industry.

"Local production dialyzer eliminates import duties and shipping costs from abroad, so prices are more affordable and hemodialysis maintenance costs become more accessible for patients and health facilities,"

"In addition, local production of the dialysis also reduces dependence on imports, ensures product availability, avoids disruption to global supply chains, and suppresses the impact of exchange rate fluctuations," said Director of PT Forsta Kalmedic Global, Yvone Astri Della Sijabat in Jakarta, recently.

Local production of the dialysiser is considered to have several significant benefits. From an economic point of view, this step helps reduce import costs and create new jobs in the health industry sector.

Meanwhile, in terms of health, locally produced devices are more accessible at a more affordable price, so as to ease the burden of treatment costs for kidney patients and health facilities.

Production of local medical devices, including the dialysiser, has also met established standards. RenaCare, for example, uses more than 40 percent of the domestic component and has obtained a Good Medical Device Manufacturing Certification (CPAKB) from the Ministry of Health.

The move to produce hemodialysis tools locally provides new hope for kidney failure patients in Indonesia. With the availability of more affordable and efficient tools, it is hoped that more patients will be able to access hemodialysis treatment without a heavy cost burden.

In addition, the development of this local industry also reflects Indonesia's great potential in meeting public health needs independently.