Panaji: It's a tourist haven known for merrymaking, but Goa is also seeing a rise in kidney-related ailments, especially among youth. So a web helpline for such patients may have come just in time.

The helpline, set up by the Goa Renal Support Association's (GRSA), caters to those wanting to treat their ailing kidneys or to transplant the organ.

Sandeep Helekar, convener of the GRSA, who has hosted website www.helpforkidneytransplant.com, said health experts and nephrologists based in Goa and Mumbai would also counsel patients wishing to undergo kidney transplants out of the state.

"This is a small step to help Goan patients who want to plan for kidney transplants. The rising cases of chronic kidney ailments will have devastating medical complications and economic as well as social implications," said Helekar.

He himself underwent a kidney transplant recently and claims that lack of information on the subject made the process an ordeal.