To the New England Journal of Medicine

4 January 2012

Sir

Your Global Health Perspective¹ highlights the importance of chronic kidney disease (CKD) in the ‘slow-motion disaster’ which is the non-communicable disease epidemic in the developing world.

The International Society of Nephrology (ISN), the leading advocate for the global importance of CKD², welcomes the final Political Declaration of the September 2011 UN High Level Meeting which contains an explicit statement about the importance of CKD that was added after the ISN had used its global networks to advocate with health ministers worldwide for recognition of CKD as a separate entity ².

ISN’s mission includes the global advancement of nephrology through a wide range of capacity building programs in the developing world³. This includes the ISN Fellowship program, the benefits of which were omitted from your brief biography of Dr Ezekiel, who became a nephrologist through an ISN Fellowship which enabled her to undertake postgraduate training under Dr. Sarala Naicker in Johannesburg, South Africa before she returned to open the first dialysis unit in Dar Es Salaam, and represent Tanzania at the UN meeting.

Yours sincerely,

John Feehally - President ( This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. )

Giuseppe Remuzzi - President Elect

William G Couser - Chair, Global Outreach Programs

International Society of Nephrology
Rue des Fabriques, 1
1000 - Bruxelles, Belgium
Tel: +32 2 80 80 420
Fax:+32 2 213 13 63

References

1. Rosenbaum L, Lamas D. Facing a “slow motion disaster” – the UN Meeting on Non-Communicable Diseases. New Engl J Med 2011; 365: 2354-8.

2. Feehally J. Health burden of kidney disease recognized by UN. Nat Rev Nephrol 2012; 8:12-13.

3. http://www.theisn.org/isn-information/global-outreach-go-programs