A uremia patient from Nantong, Jiangsu Province lived on his "steel kidney," a home-made dialysis machine for 13 years, triggering curious discussion online.

Hu Songwen was diagnosed with uremia in 1993.

In the beginning, Hu went to the hospital to receive hemodialysis, spending all his savings.

Without money, he couldn't continue his treatment in hospital, Yangtze Evening Post reported.

In an effort to sustain his life, as well as to save money, Hu decided to give up the expensive treatment and to make his own cheap "steel kidney" - a home-made hemodialysis machine made of some kitchenware, containers, dialysis fluid and saline.

During initial attempts, the complex process rattled Hu, but he soon succeeded and mastered other medical skills.       With the help of the "steel kidney," Hu is still alive today, according to the Nanjing-based newspaper.

Hu's story was published on Weibo, triggering a mixture of sympathy and surprise at the man's ingenious solution, said the report.

Sun Wei, the director of nephrology department of Jiangsu Province Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine in Nanjing, did warn that infections and other medical problems may be caused by such simple home-made medical devices.

He suggested that peritoneal dialysis may be a preferred alternative for those who patients who are unable to afford hemodialysis, the newspaper reported.

Yangtze Evening Post