Driving home the message for public's organ donation

New Straits Times

WITH support from Volkswagen (VW) Beetles Club Malaysia, the National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF) sent its LifeCheck Mobile Health Screening bus, Direct Debit Donor Programme truck and Secretariat cars to selected locations in Johor Baru, Malacca, Seremban and the Klang Valley to promote organ donation, the theme for this year's World Kidney Day (WKD) 2012 celebrations.
In Johor Baru, a total of 342 people attended the free health screening at Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA), a joint effort by hospital staff and NKF.

The programme was officiated by Johor's state health director, Dr Mohd Khairi Yakub, along with HSA's consultant nephrologist, Dr Hooi Lai Seong and NKF chief executive officer, Chua Hong Wee. Owners of VW Beetles went to Plaza Angsana in a convoy in the afternoon to reach out to local shoppers.

Moving to Malacca the next day, Pantai Hospital Ayer Keroh (PHAK) senior operations manager Tan Yew Aik welcomed the NKF and VW convoy to the hospital as he encouraged the public to attend regular health screenings in his opening speech.

The hospital staff and nephrologists cheered the convoy which was flagged-off from the hospital to Dataran Pahlawan in a shower of bright confetti and WKD mini flags. Locals and tourists participated in the organ donation campaign at the shopping mall.

The day after, 16 vintage VW Beetles joined the NKF convoy to Seremban town.

Health screening counters, health and organ donation exhibitions, a games session and colouring contests for children were organised by Hospital Tuanku Jaafar Seremban (HTJS), NKF and the National Transplant Resource Centre at Seremban Parkson Parade.

Back in the Klang Valley a day later, the NKF convoy invited VW Beetles Club members to join the final flag-off to Tropicana City Mall and 1Utama Shopping Complex.

Shoppers at both malls were given freebies and goodies bags upon signing up as an organ pledger. or upon completion of quiz and puzzles related to the campaign's theme.

The convoy aimed to get the public to come forward and pledge to be organ donors.

It was also aimed at raising awareness on the positive outcomes of kidney transplantation to patients with end-stage kidney failure.

This year's WKD theme is Donate Kidneys for Life Receive.

Speaking about the programme, Chua Hong Wee, chief executive officer of NKF, said: "This is one of the ways we reached out to the community to come forward and support our cause.

"Currently, there are over 15,000 patients in the national waiting list for kidney transplants, and we hope our programme can give hope to these patients suffering from end-stage kidney failure so that their lives can be saved."