Arizona State-ISK Foundation Kidney Center, Barisal

In Bangladesh thousands of kidney patients die every year due to inadequate dialysis facility. Sadly enough, thousands of poor kidney patients cannot even afford such treatment due to its exorbitant cost. Moreover, hinterland patients cannot even reach these scarce kidney centers, which are only available in major cities.

According to Bangladesh Kidney Foundation's statistics, every year about forty thousand people suffer from renal failure. Due to various problems of kidney transplant, now a days, haemodialysis is the only option for survival of End State Renal Failure patients. In Bangladesh, unfortunately, the dialysis facility is limited to a few major cities and is highly expensive and inadequate. An End State Renal Failure (ESRF) patient needs 3 haemodialysis per week for normal function. But due to its exorbitant cost and non-availability in hinterland towns, thousands of patients cannot even afford dialysis. Due to its high cost many patients are compelled to compromise on the number of dialysis and many families are economically crippled and turning destitute to meet the high cost of treatment.

In view of the above sufferings of poor patients and driven by the feeling "to pay back to motherland", Old Rajshahi Cadets Association USA - Chapter (ORCA -USA), organizations of expatriate Bangladeshis in the USA, planned to set up kidney centers in Bangladesh and approached 'Khan Family Foundation', Saratoga, CA, USA for additional help. It may be mentioned that ORCA-USA in coordination with ORCA in Bangladesh has been implementing numerous charity projects in Bangladesh.

The Khan Family Foundation established in the USA in 2003 by expatriate Bangladeshi Dr. Imdad H. Khan and his wife Mrs Sitara A. Khan have donated funds to many philanthropic organizations worldwide. In Bangladesh it has funded scholarships to meritorious but needy students for studying engineering, medicine and science.

Under the patronage of Khan Family Foundation, a trust named "Imdad-Sitara Khan Foundation" was established in Bangladesh to carry out the philanthropic activities. Imdad Sitara Khan Foundation (ISKF) is funding to establish kidney centers in district towns throughout Bangladesh. Inspired by this noble cause, the Independent Dialysis Foundation Inc, Maryland, USA has donated 39 dialysis machines to ORCA- USA to the Imdad Sitara Khan Kidney Centers in Bangladesh,which run on a non-profit basis.

Starting its operation in 2006, ISKF to date has set up 7 kidney dialysis centers, one each in Dhaka, Rajshahi, Rangpur, Bogra, Kushtia, Dinajpur and Chittagong. Although at the beginning it relied only on Khan Family Foundation, USA, for its funding, from 2009 it was able to garner financial support from more individuals and organizations, International and local, to expand its network in Bangladesh. The foundation received fund for three centers in 2013 to open dialysis centers in Chittagong, Khulna and Barisal. By May 2014 the foundation will have 9 dialysis centers in Bangladesh.