Actor Ameet Channa, best known for his role in hit film 'Bend it Like Beckham', came together Councillor Abdul Sattar-Butt, the Mayor of Brent and actress Rebecca Hazelwood (Crossroads) to launch an innovative new campaign on behalf of the National Kidney Research Fund today. The campaign, organised with the support of the Brent and Harrow Primary Care Trust, is designed to encourage members of the South Asian and African-Caribbean communities to come forward and receive a free test for kidney disease.

Monday 29th July saw the opening of the first of a series of Awareness & Screening Days at two popular community centres in Brent, which will run through from 29th July through to 3rd August 2002, with members of the public being actively encouraged to come forward and have their blood pressure taken, urine tested for signs of protein as well as a finger prick test for glucose. Any patient that the nurse considers to be at risk will be referred to their own GP for further consultation. Qualified nurses, counsellors and translators will be on hand throughout the screening days to ensure that all visitors to the Test centres receive the very best care and attention and are made fully aware of the implications of these illnesses.

The opening of the Brent Screening Centre was by the Harrow-based film star Ameet Channa whose own father has been diagnosed with diabetes. He said of the campaign: "It is reassuring to see that initiatives like this are being taken right into the heart of the community. The message really has to be delivered to potential patients in a reassuring manner that they understand, and to offer free testing is invaluable. I wish that my father had been offered screening earlier - I am sure it would have helped the whole family."

The ABLE programme, which was launched in December of last year aims to raise awareness about the prevalence of kidney disease within ethnic communities, with the long-term aim of increasing early diagnosis and reducing the incidence of end stage renal failure (ESRF) amongst such groups. The programme recognises the importance of targeting ethnic communities in the fight against kidney disease, with those from South Asian and African-Caribbean backgrounds being particularly susceptible to the condition. The statistics are staggering, with people from ethnic communities being three to five times more likely to develop kidney disease than people of caucasian origin.

The ABLE initiative, supported by a Department of Health grant, will highlight the importance of targeting such groups in the fight against kidney disease. In the UK people of South Asian and African Caribbean backgrounds are the most highly affected as conditions such as diabetes and high blood pressure can lead to kidney disease and eventual kidney failure. Kidney disease affects all age groups. In the UK today, over 180,000 people are undergoing treatment for kidney disease.

The proactive approach by The NKRF and the Department of Health follows the publication of a paper, written by leading kidney specialist, Dr Liz Lightstone on behalf of The National Kidney Research Fund. The paper aims to clarify the current state of knowledge and to outline the initiatives, which need to be implemented to reduce the incidence and alter the outcome of kidney disease among ethnic communities.

Consultant Transplant Surgeon and a medical advisor to The Fund, Mr Ali Bakran said of the Brent Pilot: "There is a dire need to highlight to ethnic communities the higher risk of developing kidney failure and the need and means to prevent this occurring. The Fund through the ABLE project is committed to taking the message to these communities and as a surgeon from an Asian background, I feel an obligation to help and support the programme. I hope that the Pilot will inform, educate and provide support for the ethnic communities and will eventually lead to a reduction in the currently increasing numbers of patients requiring dialysis and transplantation."

Founded in 1961, The National Kidney Research Fund is the leading UK charity funding research, which focuses on the prevention, treatment and management of kidney disease, as well as improving patient care. It does not conduct research directly but funds others to undertake this essential work on their behalf.

Click here for further information on The National Kidney Research Fund.

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