Cousins Shi Guizhen, 17 year old, and Wu Xiuhui, 19 year old, both suffering of chronic nephritis, a kidney disease, get treatment at Huayuan People's Hospital.
Shi Guizhen, resident of Naguang village, Changle township in Huayuan county, began to feel sick on September 1, 2015.
At the hospital she was diagnosed with renal failure and chronic nephritis. Her condition improved after getting hemodialysis. However, Shi Guizhen’s is no longer able to go to school and her only way to survive is getting hemodialysis three times a week.
Shi Guizhen and Wu Xiuhui rent a house near the Huayuan People's Hospital, so that they can more easily get the treatments every other day. The average annual medical expenses for Shi Guizhen is more than 57,000 yuan, of which about 18,000 yuan she has to pay herself, the rest is reimbursed by medical insurance.
Two decades of lead and zinc mining in the province has taken a major toll. Kidney failure is one of the health impacts that can be caused by exposure to heavy metals.