A free health screening will be held at the West Bay Health Centre from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm. As part of the event, the public will have access to health checks, including blood pressure, blood sugar and urine test (optional). A physician, dietitian, pharmacist and diabetes educator will be available on-site to review any abnormal results and provide guidance on kidney health.

Dialysis Nurse Manager Erlin McLeod emphasised the importance of expanding access to screenings across the Cayman Islands: “Last year’s World Kidney Day screenings were a resounding success with over 100 persons taking advantage of the free health checks available. We want to continue to expand access to these opportunities outside of George Town, which is why we’ve decided to hold the screenings in West Bay for a second year, considering this is the district with the second-highest number of dialysis patients.”

This will be followed by the Continuing Medical Education (CME) at the Hibiscus Conference Rooms, Anthony S. Eden Hospital, from 4:30 pm to 7:30 pm.

The CME programme will feature the following topics:

  • Multidisciplinary Team Approach to managing a complex Kidney Failure Complication – Nephrologist and Internist Dr Paul Laboi, Diabetes Educator and Pharmacist Winsome Jefferson and Nutritionist Mia Zurita, HSA
  • Making Sense of CKD: A Concise Guide for CKD Management for Primary Care Physicians – Consultant Nephrologist Dr Ikechi Okpechi, HSA
  • Triple Protection in Diabetic CKD: Kidney, Heart, and Survival - Nephrology and Kidney Transplant Medicine Consultant Dr Amit Mahapatra, Health City Cayman Islands

Clinicians attending the seminar will receive 3 CME credits.

This year’s theme highlights that early detection of chronic kidney disease (CKD) not only preserves kidney function but also reduces the need for resource-intensive treatments and improves long-term outcomes. According to research on the global burden of chronic kidney disease, environmental changes are now adding to this challenge.

Climate-related risks such as air pollution, heat stress, dehydration and extreme weather events, compound the risks of CKD and accelerate its progression. Rising global temperatures also fuel the spread of tropical diseases that can damage the kidneys. At the same time, treatments for end-stage kidney disease, particularly dialysis, are resource-intensive: they require large volumes of water, energy, and single-use plastics, and generate greenhouse gas emissions. A single hemodialysis session can have a carbon footprint equivalent to driving a car for nearly 240 kilometres. This creates a feedback loop: kidney disease and climate change worsen each other.

“HSA is prioritizing prevention and promoting public awareness to encourage early detection and timely management of kidney disease, which ultimately reduces the need for hospital-based interventions,” noted Dr. Okpechi.

World Kidney Day is an annual campaign aimed at raising awareness about kidneys and highlighting the consequences of their dysfunction. The campaign also seeks to educate people about the vital functions of kidneys, the symptoms of kidney disease—which is the ninth leading cause of death worldwide—and ways to improve kidney health.