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Beyond the need to understand disease mechanisms and develop new therapies, the inequities that deprive individuals of a healthy life must also be addressed to ensure kidney health for all.
The nephrology community is increasingly being confronted with the challenge of caring for refugees with kidney disease. An urgent need exists for a global registry of these patients as well as consistent guidance for financial, cultural and ethical issues in order to ensure that they receive sustainable and equitable care.
The coronavirus disease 2019 global pandemic has disrupted every economy in the world. Now, more than ever, universal health coverage is needed to protect the world’s most vulnerable individuals, who are not only at very high risk of virus-related disability or death but also of falling into poverty owing to catastrophic health-care spending.
Millions of people in under-privileged regions of the world continue to drink heavily polluted water and die from diarrhoea-related acute kidney injury whilst world super-powers continue to offer military aid to these regions. This gun aid must convert into water aid.
The incidence of kidney diseases from communicable and non-communicable causes is expected to increase globally — especially in low and middle-income countries — as a consequence of global warming. As this increase could lead to overburdening of health-care systems, action is crucial to minimize the negative impacts of climate change on kidney health.
Insights into the heterogeneity of processes underlying kidney diseases and their relationship with disease phenotype could redefine classifications of disease and improve patient outcomes.
Progress towards the Sustainable Development Goals depends on population health in all countries. Implementation research is crucial for generating evidence on how to sustainably embed effective clinical interventions in health systems and local delivery mechanisms, thereby improving their likelihood of success, and informing policy change to improve population health.
Health-care professionals in general and nephrologists in particular can and should make clear contributions towards achieving the Sustainable Development Goals. This commitment will require changes in patient care, research and education, which should be carried out in collaboration with relevant stakeholders, such as health-care industries.