MESSAGE FROM MEDICARE'S CONSULTANT NEPHROLOGIST

The struggle to keep kidney patients alive and well has been a major challenge in my 30 years as a Kidney Specialist (Nephrologist). Each day many kidney patients walk through my door, and it saddens me simply because you would think that with all the medical advances throughout the past few decades that we would have found a cure for this disease.  Unfortunately not!

In Malaysia , there are currently 20,000 patients on dialysis. Some 4,000 new individuals were added to that number last year. It may be an eye-opener that 55% of dialysis patients are diabetic and the number of patients going on dialysis will continue to grow as more patients, especially diabetics, succumb to kidney failure. It is an expensive condition to treat. Dialysis costs an average of RM168 per treatment at non-government and non-private organizations, and takes up around 68% of one’s household income. This is despite the government helping 67% of the dialysis patients in the form of various treatment subsidies.

 

Worse, each year more and more NEW cases of End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) are diagnosed and the patients are getting younger and younger in age!  Gone are the days when the disease only affected those who are elderly, diabetic or who suffered from high blood pressure. (Do read the story of our youngest patient as attached, Chiw Ghee Chong and you will know what I am talking about.)

 

As the Medical Advisor and a Board member of MAA-Medicare Kidney Charity Fund, I have been personally involved with those patients who have been dialyzing at MAA-Medicare for the past 15 years. I travel and visit the patients at all the centres with the assistance of a group of committed nephrologists and a full time medical doctor.

 

I recall the dismal scenario 15 years ago before the existence of MAA-Medicare.  There were no ‘subsidized non-government’ or private centres for patients who earned between RM1,500 - RM2,000 per month except at the odd full fee-paying private hospitals, which were charging about RM2,000 - RM3,000 each month.  This did not include medications, blood tests and Erythropoietin (EPO - anaemia prevention) injections. 

 

Hence, when MAA-Medicare was established to provide treatment to needy kidney sufferers, I was most thankful and glad and was their first Nephrologist – Medical Advisor. MAA-Medicare does not receive any government funding and solely depends on the generosity of the Malaysian public.  Nonetheless, the Government does provide a RM50 subsidy per dialysis treatment to eligible patients and recently EPO injections as well.

 

I have seen MAA-Medicare grow from one centre along Jalan Ipoh to 12 centres spread throughout Malaysia . Thousands of patients have gained treatment at these centres and today 700 patients are cared for on a permanent basis. All funds raised are utilised to subsidize treatment costs, blood tests, medications and (EPO) injections, all of which come close to RM3 million each year.

 

The Chairman and trustees strongly believe that this NGO should be transparent and that everyone should know where and how MAA-Medicare utilizes its funds.  For the year 2008, we spent only 4.3% on management fees. The bulk of the money raised went towards the establishment of a new 40 dialysis machine centre in Jalan Ipoh; the expansion and new medical equipments for other centres in Johor Bharu, Kuching, Kota Kinabalu, Kota Bharu, and our two other Klang Valley centres at Cheras and Kajang.

 

Unfortunately, the local cadaveric kidney donor programme has not been very successful despite over 20 years of hard work by the various bodies involved. Young patients remain on chronic dialysis for life.  This exposes them to unpleasant and sometimes painful complications of long term dialysis.

 

Hence we have started to provide haemodiafiltration (HDF) treatment to the patients at our centre in Jalan Ipoh, Kuala Lumpur and plan to extend this to many other centres nationwide.  Though this treatment is expensive, we believe that we should try to assist and subsidize as many patients as we can because we want to see our patients enjoy a better quality of life.

 

All our existing centres will be upgraded in stages.  In short, we have our hands full come 2010.  We are able to do what we do, simply because You have always been there for us and with us! With you continuous support, your kindness and generous contributions throughout the years, we have survived and helped many more such patients who depend on us. Your dollar has been stretched to the maximum and has given so many people the opportunity and chance to live. Not only to survive endstage kidney failure, but to live a life of meaningful quality!

 

My Board members and I would like to say Thank You once again and appeal to you to continue your donations towards MAA-MEDIcare Kidney Charity Fund.  Please do remember, it’s not how much you can do tomorrow, it’s what you can do today. Let us go forward hand-in-hand for not only today but all the tomorrows.

 

Gratefully Yours,

 

 

 

 

Prof Emeritus Datin Dr Norella CT Kong

Senior Consultant Nephrologist (UKM) &

Member, Board of Trustee.