BY SHARIFAH NONG-JASIMA & ANIS HIPNI
KUCHING: In conjunction with World Kidney Day, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) held a series of awareness activities, championing the theme ‘Are Your Kidneys OK? Detect Early, Protect Kidney Health’ at the Hills Shopping Mall here on Sunday.
The event aimed to promote kidney health awareness and encourage early detection to combat the rising prevalence of chronic kidney disease (CKD).
Sarawak General Hospital (SGH) consultant nephrologist, Dr Claire Tan, highlighted the growing concerns surrounding kidney disease in Malaysia, particularly in Sarawak.
“It is very common, as every year, around 700 to 800 people are newly diagnosed with kidney failure and require dialysis,” she said while talking to reporters, adding that there are currently approximately 4,800 patients undergoing dialysis across the state.
While the availability of dialysis centres has expanded to meet rising demand, with around 20 government facilities and 12 charity-run centres throughout Sarawak, Dr Tan stressed that prevention must remain the primary focus.
“We can’t just focus on increasing dialysis facilities.
“More importantly, we must work to prevent kidney disease and raise awareness, so that we can slow down the growing number of patients suffering from kidney failure,” she said.
The number of Malaysians affected by CKD has risen at an alarming rate, with recent data showing that as many as one in every six or seven people now suffer from the condition.
Dr Tan said that the national surveys conducted in 2011 and 2018 recorded a sharp increase in CKD frequency, climbing from 9 per cent to 15.5 per cent in just seven years.
“With this World Kidney Day celebration and various ongoing efforts, we hope to reverse this trend and see a reduction in these alarming numbers in the future,” she concluded.
