COVID-19 pandemic and care of chronic kidney diseases patients in India

In view of the coronavirus disease 19 (COVID-19) pandemic, most health-care resources focused on testing capability and increasing hospital beds and ventilators. Lockdown and reallocation of resources are two major interventions done by the government to tackle with the COVID outbreak. However, this is at the cost of patients living with noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) such as diabetes, hypertension, cancer, cardiovascular emergencies, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Nevertheless, all health-care services related to NCD are impacted, but patients with CKD, especially those on dialysis, are affected mostly. People living with NCDs especially with CKD are at higher risk of severe COVID-19-related illness and death. It is vital that countries find innovative ways to ensure that essential services for CKD continue, even as they fight COVID-19.