Materia Medica Malaysiana

Kidney failure alarming

NIBONG TEBAL: Ten thousand Malaysians are expected to suffer from kidney failure in the next five years due to lack of exercise and poor eating habits, said Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek.

He said RM30mil had been allocated to equip every district hospital with a minimum of four haemodialysis machines each by the end of this year.

“But these machines will never be enough to cater to the alarming increase in the number of kidney failure patients,” he told reporters after launching the Sungai Bakap Hospital’s haemodialysis unit yesterday.

He said there were now about 9,000 patients in the country seeking haemodialysis treatment, with an average 2,500 new cases reported annually.

About 35% of the patients, Dr Chua said, sought treatment at government hospitals and another 35% at dialysis centres run by non-governmental organisations. The remaining patients were receiving treatment at private hospitals and dialysis centres.

“It is more efficient and cost effective in the long term for the ministry to promote health education and the importance of a healthy lifestyle to reduce the number of chronic disease cases, including kidney failure.”

He said that under the coming Ninth Malaysia Plan, more money would be spent on fitness-related programmes and less on building new hospitals.

Believed to be set up in 1891, the Sungai Bakap Hospital, with 130 beds, is one of the oldest hospitals in the state.