National Shift Towards Home-Based Peritoneal Dialysis Launched

Why It Matters

Expanding home‑based PD eases hospital capacity, empowers patients, and supports Singapore’s broader effort to curb chronic kidney disease through early detection and lifestyle prevention.

Key Takeaways

• Singapore aims to add 300 home PD patients in three years
• Goal: increase PD uptake from one‑in‑five to one‑in‑three
• Home PD offers flexibility, reduces dialysis center capacity pressure
• Awareness, perception, and confidence are main barriers to PD adoption
• NKF nurses provide in‑home training to boost patient confidence

Summary

Singapore's Ministry of Health, together with the National Kidney Foundation and four public hospitals, announced a three‑year initiative to expand home‑based peritoneal dialysis (PD) by adding 300 patients, aiming to give kidney‑failure sufferers greater flexibility and reduce reliance on centre‑based haemodialysis.

Currently only one in five new dialysis patients chooses PD; the program targets raising that proportion to one in three. Home PD involves a daily 9‑hour exchange performed by the patient, with nurse visits twice a year, and is expected to alleviate capacity pressure on dialysis centres while offering patients the ability to work and care for families.

The story of 60‑year‑old Murad Muhammad Taha, who has been dialysis‑free at home since 2023, illustrates the personal benefits. Associate Professor Tan Su highlighted three barriers—low awareness, perceived inferiority to haemodialysis, and lack of self‑confidence—and explained that NKF‑embedded nurses now provide hands‑on training at patients’ homes to overcome these obstacles.

If successful, the shift could reshape Singapore’s renal‑care landscape, freeing up clinical resources, encouraging early detection of chronic kidney disease, and reinforcing preventive strategies against diabetes and hypertension—the leading causes of kidney failure. The initiative also signals a broader move toward patient‑centred, home‑based chronic disease management.

Original Description

Singapore plans to expand the number of kidney patients using home-based peritoneal dialysis by 300 over the next three years, aiming to give them greater flexibility in managing work and family life. The Health Ministry hopes to increase uptake among new patients from one in five to one in three. Associate Professor Tan Chieh Suai, Head and Senior Consultant of the Department of Renal Medicine at the Singapore General Hospital, shares more on the shift towards home-based dialysis, whether it is a better alternative, differences between peritoneal dialysis and haemodialysis, and also addresses common misconceptions.