Ģý Calls for Kidney Disease Patients to Have Continued Access to Customary Care Level During COVID-19 Crisis
Ģý, the worldĢýs leading provider of dialysis products and services, has released an advisory calling for clinical care principles on access to be upheld for patients with advanced chronic kidney disease if a surge inoverwhelms the available supply of facilities, caregivers and ventilators.
The Global Medical Advisory on Apportioning Care outlines the companyĢýs position on how care should be allotted during and after the pandemic and addresses the differing care standards being articulated by various healthcare systems, groups and governments. It stresses the companyĢýs commitment to maintaining uninterrupted healthcare delivery for patients around the world who require renal replacement therapy during the pandemic.
The advisory recognizes that capacity issues may become overwhelming to healthcare systems during the pandemic. However, it calls on Ģýall authorities to recognize the need to make critical equipment, supplies, facilities and care delivery available to patients with advanced kidney diseases that need lifesaving therapy at all times, including during this COVID-19 disease pandemic.Ģý
Dr. Frank Maddux, Global Chief Medical Officer of Ģý and member of the companyĢýs Management Board, said the company stands firmly behind the clinical principle that despite the strain on healthcare resources caused by the pandemic, patients with End Stage Kidney Disease requiring dialysis should be able to continue with their prescribed dialysis treatment frequency. Furthermore, dialysis access surgery or interventions needed by some patients are Ģýnot elective procedures and should be delivered in a timely mannerĢý to prevent potential complications, he added.
The advisory asserts that patients needing renal replacement therapy during the pandemic should still be offered the appropriate treatment that has been agreed in consultation with their physicians. ĢýThese discussions may include mechanical ventilation, dialysis, continuous renal replacement therapies and any other extracorporeal supportĢý advised by a patientĢýs care team, it states.
ĢýPeople with advanced kidney disease come in varied degrees of healthand functional status, but they all want to be productive and active members of their families and communities, and we are doing everything in our power to support their desire for individual choices on the level of care they receive,Ģý said Dr. Maddux. ĢýWe want to avoid population-based decisions on care that may not be in the best interests of the individual person.Ģý
Ģý is the world's leading provider of products and services for individuals with renal diseases of which around 3.5 million patients worldwide regularly undergo dialysis treatment. Through its network of 3,994 dialysis clinics, Ģý provides dialysis treatments for 345,096 patients around the globe. Ģý is also the leading provider of dialysis products such as dialysis machines or dialyzers. Along with the core business, the company focuses on expanding the range of related medical services in the field of Care Coordination. Ģý is listed on the Frankfurt Stock Exchange (FME) and on the New York Stock Exchange (FMS).
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Disclaimer
This release contains forward-looking statements that are subject to various risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those described in these forward-looking statements due to certain factors, including changes in business, economic and competitive conditions, regulatory reforms, foreign exchange rate fluctuations, uncertainties in litigation or investigative proceedings, and the availability of financing. These and other risks and uncertainties are detailed in Ģý AG & Co. KGaA's reports filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission. Ģý AG & Co. KGaA does not undertake any responsibility to update the forward-looking statements in this release.
