Our mission is to improve the quality of life of people who require dialysis and cannot afford the medical expenses incurred.
A healthy individual has two kidneys which perform many tasks, the most important being the cleaning of the blood to remove toxins and excess water. When the kidneys do not function normally, there is a build up of toxins and water in the body which can be life-threatening.
Dialysis is a process by which the blood in the body is cleaned artificially to remove these toxins and the excess water. Dialysis is of two types - Hemodialysis and Peritoneal Dialysis. There is one more option for patients whose kidneys are not functioning normally. They can go in for a kidney transplant where a kidney of a healthy individual is removed and placed in the person whose kidneys are not functioning. Since the body needs only one kidney to function, both the individuals can live reasonably healthy lives.
Dialysis is an expensive process. A session of hemodialysis costs between Rs. 800 to Rs. 3,000 depending on the center it is being done in. In India, most people get two to three sessions of three to five hours each every week. Considering this, the monthly expenses of dialysis alone run into several thousands of rupees.
Added to this, most dialysis patients have a few other complications such as anemia (low blood counts) and cardiovascular problems. Due to this, they need a host of other medications, the most important one being Erythropoietin injections every week which help the body maintain the blood counts at a reasonable level. This injection also is very expensive.
The Bhagwan Mahavir Jain Relief Foundation trust was founded by sixteen like minded Jain friends who saw the insurmountable problems being faced by people with kidney failure who could not afford these expenses and were forced to give up and accept death as the only resort. Our only objective is to give such people a ray of hope. We do not not discriminate based on religion, caste, language or community. We only want to help truly deserving people get a fighting chance of living a life that is as close to normal as possible.