Can we still ignore renal replacement therapy in sub-Saharan Africa? All living beings are created equal

This review addresses the social background and renal replacement therapy in the sub-Saharan African region. We also describe the hemodialysis treatment in countries that we have supported since 2008 and the renal transplant treatment in Tanzania that began in 2016. We have contributed dialysis treatment totally to 15 sub-Saharan African countries. Many patients suffering from chronic renal failure have been able to be treated by hemodialysis, and with this technique, lots of patients with acute kidney injury have also been rescued. In order to ensure the sustainability of dialysis treatment, clinical engineers in Japan should be needed because of the maintenance of dialysis machines and management of dialysate. Kidney transplantation would be the best method in renal replacement therapy. It would be also important to be able to perform transplant operation only by the local staff, to strengthen the examination system, and to foster transplant internists by further training. In this regard, our efforts surely made it possible that kidney transplant was conducted successfully in Tanzania.