NEW DELHI: As India faces a massive burden of kidney disease, with approximately 138 million cases reported in 2023, there is an urgent need to launch a national screening programme targeting high-risk populations, particularly in rural areas, where access to specialised care is limited, said experts here Thursday on the occasion of World Kidney Day 2026.
Urging Union Health Minister JP Nadda to formally include Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) in the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Non Communicable Diseases (NP-NCD) Guideline, the Indian Society of Nephrology (ISN) said the prevalence of CKD has shown an alarming upward trend, surging to over 16%, with projections suggesting it could become a top-five cause of death in India by 2040.
Drawing the minister’s attention to the “silent epidemic affecting the country," the ISN, which has 3,300 members, said the surge in CKD is closely linked to diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, maternal health complications, recurrent acute kidney injury (AKI), and environmental exposures.
According to Dr Shyam Bihari Bansal, Senior Director and Head of Department, Nephrology and Kidney Transplant Medicine, “A significant portion of this burden remains undiagnosed until the advanced stages, placing immense pressure on both patients and the healthcare system and leading to catastrophic out-of-pocket expenditures.”
“This becomes even more relevant since with the current availability of therapeutic interventions a substantial proportion of CKD in India arises from preventable or modifiable risk factors,” said Dr Bansal, who is also ISN Secretary.
He alongwith a high-level ISN delegation met Nadda and handed over the memorandum seeking inclusion of CKD in the national programme for NCD and screening high risk individuals.
“While the government of India has made significant strides in managing hypertension and diabetes, we request the ministry to formally integrate CKD as a core component of the National Programme for Prevention and Control of Cancer, Diabetes, Cardiovascular Diseases and Stroke (NPCDCS/NP-NCD). This is recommended to shift India's approach from dialysis-centric care to prevention-focused kidney health,” the memorandum said.
“A structured CKD screening and referral programme would not only reduce progression to kidney failure, decrease dialysis burden, but also significantly lower the cardiovascular morbidity and mortality,” it added.
Most CKD cases are silent in early stages, making early detection crucial to slow progression and prevent the need for expensive dialysis or transplantation.
The ISN strongly advocated that the government take up targeted screening.
“Routine testing of persons with diabetes, hypertension, cardiovascular disease, family history of kidney disease, and those above 60 years of age-using simple, cost-effective tests such as urine albumin and serum creatinine-can significantly reduce late-stage presentations,” said the memorandum, signed by Dr Ashwini Gupta, ISN President; Dr Vijay Kher, Chairman Advocacy Group and ISN past president and Dr Sandeep Mahajan, Member Advocacy Group and Chair South Asia Region International Society of Nephrology.
They also urged that the existing Primary Health Centre (PHC) network and Ayushman Arogya Mandirs should also be leveraged to conduct these tests regularly.
“Large-scale awareness programmes can help citizens understand the importance of kidney health, risk-factor control, and regular screening,” it added.
“The Indian Society of Nephrology stands ready to support the ministry in developing guidelines, training modules, and technical expertise to advance CKD prevention and care. With timely policy action, India can substantially reduce the growing burden of kidney disease and improve the quality of life for millions,” the memorandum added.
This year’s World Kidney Day 2026 theme is ‘Kidney Health for All: Caring for People, Protecting the Planet.’
According to the Global Burden of Disease (GBD) study, globally in 2023, 788 people aged 20 years and older were estimated to have CKD, up from 378 million in 1990. The global age-standardised prevalence of CKD in adults was 14.2%, a relative rise of 3.5% from 1990.