Materia Medica Malaysiana

Sibu Kidney Foundation Embarks On A-ringgit-a-month Donation Drive

SIBU, Nov 30 (Bernama) -- The Sibu Kidney Foundation has embarked on a- ringgit-a-month donation campaign to raise funds for its 47 patients and to meet operational costs.
State Urban Development and Tourism Minister Datuk Seri Wong Soon Koh appealed to the town's population of 221,000 people to donate a ringgit a month.
"The amount is small and very affordable. If our people can generously pass the hat around, we can come up with something," he said when launching the campaign here last night.
Wong said the foundation, a voluntary organisation, heavily relied on public donations for its operations.
He said 41 organisations out of 200 had responded to the campaign so far and he expected more to come forward soon.
Earlier, its manager Ivy Lau said the foundation planned to buy five more new dialysis machines costing RM250,000 as soon as the fund was available to replace the old ones.
She said the foundation spent about RM1 million every year for treatment and public health awareness campaigns.
"From next year, we will have to spend RM1.2 million annually," she said.
She said the foundation had to subsidise poor patients heavily for the three-times-a-week dialysis treatment.
"A normal treatment costs RM750 per week or RM250 per visit but we can only charge them RM50," she said
Donors willing to contribute to the foundation can call 084-343500 or 084-346500 or e-mail: skfsibu@po.jaring.my., she added