NKF’s health screening for RM2

Malay Mail: Early screening for kidney diseases saves lives.
The National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF) urges Malaysians to take precautions against kidney disease by registering for its health screening programme.
The nationwide health screening programme will begin on Feb 19.
It will be held on every first and third Sunday of the month in NKF’s 19 dialysis centres around the country.
Screening costs RM2 and is from 8am to noon.
Hospital Kuala Lumpur (KLH) consultant nephrologist and NKF nephrology department head Dr Zaki Morad Mohd Zaher said: “Our focus is on prevention rather than cure.
“Many patients come to us when they have reached the critical phase, that is kidney failure.
“They have to undergo kidney transplants, or haemodialysis treatment 13 times a month and four hours per session, in order to survive.”
He said the screening includes urine, blood pressure and glucose level tests.
Those who are diagnosed with high blood pressure and diabetes are strongly advised to go for screening as they risk developing kidney ailments.
He said statistics have shown that eight per cent of Malaysians have been diagnosed with diabetes, and 30 per cent of adult Malaysians have high blood pressure.
Senior citizens aged 60 and above form the bulk of kidney patients.
He said 100 in a million Malaysians suffer from terminal kidney failure every year, and this means, an additional 2,500 people require haemodialysis treatment.
NKF board of managers chairman Dr S. S. Gill said: “If signs of kidney disease are detected, NKF will recommend that the patient undergo medical check-ups for further treatment.
“Early detection saves lives.”
The NKF public education unit organised a seminar in November last year to acquaint its staff nurses at the 19 centres with proper procedures in caring for kidney patients.
NKF chief executive officer Goh Seng Chuan said they also launched a nephrology affiliation scheme two years ago, in which 11 nephrologists from Government hospitals assisted the dialysis centres.
There are 54 nephrologists in Malaysia.
Goh said: “They review the condition of kidney patients once in six weeks.”
From Feb 1, NKF will increase subsidies to kidney patients by RM10. This means, dialysis treatment will be reduced from RM60 to RM50.
Goh was speaking at the NKF secretariat in here.
Also present was NKF second vice chairman Dr Tan Chwee Choon.
Goh said NKF will be opening two more dialysis centres next month in Kota Baru, Kelantan and Jalan Meru, Klang.
For further details, call 03-70549048 or logon to www.nkf.org.my