Chairperson’s Welcome Message

It gives me great pleasure to welcome you to the official platform of the Renal Society of Zambia. And The established Renal Society of Zambia which is critical in spearheading clinical excellence, standardizing local kidney care, advancing research, and improving kidney patient outcomes. Furthermore; the society fosters prevention of kidney disease and other non-communicable diseases, professional growth and multi-disciplinary corroboration; including with nurses, technologists, doctors and other stake holders such as the ISN, AFRAN and other local stake holders.
The Renal Society of Zambia plays a critical role in advancing global advocacy and influencing evidence-based government policy to improve kidney patient outcomes nationwide.
With strong government support for Universal Health Coverage, Kidney Replacement Therapy (KRT) has expanded to nearly all provinces, and patients are now covered under the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIMA). Consequently, the Society is instrumental in aligning local clinical practices with international standards, such as the Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes (KDIGO) guidelines, and fostering professional development. Despite a shortage of renal specialists (<0.5 ppm), prioritizing short-term capacity building remains essential to sustaining these advances.
Kidney care in Zambia has seen a transformative expansion, growing from an initial two dialysis machines to more than 20 centers nationwide. Today, dialysis services are accessible in nearly all ten provinces. Historically, patients requiring kidney transplants or arteriovenous fistulas (AVF)—including those reliant on permanent catheters—were referred abroad for treatment. A study by Banda et al. highlighted this gap, showing that only 30% of patients accessed chronic dialysis via an AVF.
Today, the landscape has changed. Ndola Teaching Hospital, University Teaching Hospital, and Levy Mwanawasa Teaching Hospital have built significant capacity through the American College of Surgeons’ HOPE (Outreach Program for Equity) initiative, in partnership with the Surgical Society of Zambia and the Ministry of Health.
As a result, more patients now receive the correct dialysis access locally. Furthermore, kidney transplants are now being performed in Lusaka, with plans to expand these services to Ndola Teaching Hospital in the north shortly.
Zambia, like many other Sub-Saharan African nations, faces a dual burden of kidney disease. This is driven by non-communicable diseases—such as hypertension, diabetes mellitus, and chronic glomerulonephritis alongside infectious diseases like HIV and malaria.
Despite this rising clinical need, Zambia continues to manage a limited workforce of nephrologists, renal nurses, and technicians. Recently, the country has begun building steady capacity through government support and strategic partnerships with stakeholders like the International Society of Nephrology (ISN). Significant milestones are already being reached: Specialized Training: In 2025/26, Zambia’s first two nephro-pathologists are undergoing training in India. Global Partnerships: Through the ISN partnership, Zambia now has its ISN Fellows..
We invite all stakeholders to join us in this important journey.

Dr. Justor Banda FRCPE, FCP, PhD (Wits), MMed, ISN Fellow
Chairperson, Renal Society of Zambia