Mr. Chua Hong Wee has officially retired from his long-standing Chief Executive Officer position on 31st December 2021. He has been faithfully serving NKF for the past 11 years.

Over the years, Mr. Chua Hong Wee has been a leader who has a heart for poor and needy patients and who at the same time, understands the power of employee engagement. He has had the good fortune of work with remarkable stakeholders to surmount various challenges, building trust among them and facilitating the growth in NKF.

NKF would like to thank Mr. Chua Hong Wee for his dedication and contributions during his tenure with NKF. We are truly grateful for the time we have had with him and are thankful for the tremendous impact that he has had on NKF. We wish him all the best in his future undertakings.

NKF Malaysia was selected as one of the beneficiaries for the Charity Learning Festival starting in December 2021. This charity campaign was organized by ReSkills EdTech Sdn Bhd. This is an online live learning platform that connects aspiring learners to master coaches via interactive, real time online classes.

During the campaign period from 12 December to 12 February 2022, for each sign up, USD$1 was donated to selected beneficiaries. On top of that every registered user will be able to enjoy 6 months of ReSkills Premium Learning Access.

In support of this initiative, NKF provided 2 health talk sessions in both Malay and English language on this e-learning platform. These talks were held on 21 January 2022 and 18 February 2022. A total of 177 people benefited from the talks.

It is the time of the year again where all staff in Pusat Dialisis NKF – FOYI (Unit II), Pulau Pinang perform a thorough clean up of their centre just before Chinese New Year.

On 9 January 2022, all 9 staff gathered at the centre at 9am and began the cleaning process. Every item in the centre from dialysis machines and chairs to other medical equipment along with the flooring, walls, ceiling, light fittings and cupboards were thoroughly cleaned. The centre was then decorated with various ornaments and lanterns to usher in the Year of the Tiger. Food and refreshment were provided by the NKF – FOYI committee.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) is a growing public health concern. The Global Burden of Disease 2015 study estimated that, in 2015, about 1.2 million people died from kidney failure, an increase of 32% since 2005. In Malaysia, the prevalence of CKD has increased from 9.1% in the 2011 Malaysian National Health and Morbidity Survey to 15.5% in 2018. The number of patients with CKD is expected to significantly rise in the future largely due to the increasing prevalence of diabetes, hypertension, and the ageing population in Malaysia. With the aim of improving kidney care of Malaysians, the Medical Tweet Association Malaysia (MedTweetMY) and the National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF), together with the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH) and launched the Duta Ginjal (DuGin) and Pre-Dialysis Education Programme (PDEP) at the Putrajaya

Marriott Hotel. The programme, officiated by the Minister of Health, YB Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin Abu Bakar on 26 March 2022 was designed to provide comprehensive knowledge transfer through kidney ambassadors and an enjoyable learning experience to kidney disease patients and their caregivers − assisting them with making informed decisions and adjusting to life with the disease.

In conjunction with World Kidney Day (WKD) which is celebrated worldwide in March every year to bridge the persistent and ongoing CKD knowledge gap, NKF Malaysia in partnership with MOH, the Ministry of Higher Education Malaysia (MOHE) and the Malaysian Society of Nephrology (MSN) also organised this year’s national-level WKD 2022 celebration. Themed “Kidney Health for All”, the event was launched virtually by the Minister of Health.

The NKF’s Annual Dialysis Meeting made a comeback with a big bang and a new name! The 16th Annual Dialysis Conference (ADC) was back after a three-year absence. The 16th of its series was held on 5 and 6 March 2022 at the Sheraton Petaling Jaya Hotel, Petaling Jaya, Selangor. To add pomp to the event, it was graced and launched by the Minister of Health, YB Khairy Jamaluddin.

Since Malaysia was still in the pandemic stage when the event was held, NKF was fully committed to creating a pleasant and safe experience for all delegates, exhibitors, speakers, and guests. Therefore, we needed to ensure that everyone involved strictly followed the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) during the event.

The conference’s theme “Holistic Care in Dialysis” attracted about 400 delegates. New topics such as Palliative Care, Mental Issues in Haemodialysis, and Sexual Dysfunction in dialysis were introduced. The delegates were people from the medical and para-medical fields comprising nephrologists, doctors, medical assistants, and nurses whose primary concern was providing haemodialysis treatment to patients suffering from End-Stage Renal Disease (ESRD).

With the ADC attaining a national standard, the doctors collected 12 Continuing Professional Development (CPD) points while the nurses collected 15 points.

The National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF Malaysia) had an eventful month. with the first-ever NKF Open Day in conjunction with National Health Screening Month happening across four regions. In addition to that, there were fun games, lucky draws and free goodies to be won by all who attended.

The first-ever NKF Open Day kicked off at Alor Star Mall on 8th July 2022 in conjunction with National Health Screening Month. This event was officiated by YB Dato’ Dr. Mohd Hayati bin Othman, Kedah State Executive Councillor and Chairman of Health and Local Government.

Locals were coming in droves to donate blood as well as partake the free health screening. There was also a health talk titled “Eat Well, Live Well” conducted by Dr. Eng Wei Siong, Director of Soraya Clinic who spoke about the correlation between diets and overall health.

The second event taking place at NKF Dialysis Centre – Che Luan Khor, Kluang on 14 July saw attendees enjoying free health screening and a cooking demonstration as part of promoting a healthy lifestyle.

The day began with a vibrant Zumba session where participants started their day by breaking a sweat and learning some new moves. There was also a cooking demonstration that showed simple ways to make healthy snacks such as ‘Pita Ayam’ and ‘Kerabu Sengkuang’.

The third and latest event taking place at NKF Berjaya Resource Centre on 21st July saw attendees enjoying free health screening and a Zumba session as part of promoting a healthy lifestyle.

The day began with a vibrant Zumba session where participants started their day by breaking a sweat and learning some new moves. There was also a health talk conducted by Ms. Lau Wai Pooi, Clinical Dietician at University Malaya Medical Centre.

NKF Open Day 2022 closed out in Kota Bharu at the NKF Dialysis CentreBonusLink on 25th August 2022 signalling the fourth and final region. Similar to the three installations that have taken place, the attendees enjoyed a fun-filled and educational day.

The CODE Life forum–physical sessions returned in 2022. Johor Bahru was the first stop, followed by Kuala Terengganu, Kota Bharu, Penang, and Klang Valley.

A total of 439 people attended these four sessions, including patients, caregivers, and nephrologists. At the conclusion of the sessions, 156 patients and carers expressed a desire to undergo living transplantation.

CODE Life serves as a platform for dialysis patients, their caregivers and communities, to learn and understand more about living kidney transplantation. The forum attendees were also moved by the heart-warming sharing session with kidney transplant recipients as well as the inspiring stories of their generous donors. Sharing their struggles of living with ESKD, donor-recipients highlighted the many ways their lives improved after a kidney transplant; from being able to enjoy an active lifestyle to being free from constant dialysis treatments.

The sessions were moderated by nephrologists, allowing individuals to make informed decisions about kidney transplantation.

11 June 2022 at Pulai Spring Resort, Johor Bahru
16 July 2022 at Grand Puteri Hotel, Kuala Terengganu
23 July 2022 at Crown Garden Hotel, Kota Bharu
3 September 2022 at Pearl View Hotel, Pulau Pinang

PUSAT DIALISIS – KELAB LIONS ALOR SETAR

After a 2 years hiatus, Pusat Dialisis NKF-Kelab Lions Alor Setar held the Patients’ Family Day at Star City Hotel, Alor Setar on 26 August 2022. It was attended by 39 patients along with their family members and NKF staff.

The event opened with a welcome address from Sister Ang Bee Moy, Centre Manager. It was not just sharing a meal together, it was also a bonding session among NKF staff and the patients along with their family members.

Each patient was greeted with a pleasant surprise in the form of a food hamper sponsored by NKF.

Patients were grateful for the continuous medical care, dialysis treatments and welfare provided by NKF. All these were made possible with the continuous support from our generous donors-individuals, corporates and organizations.

PUSAT DIALISIS NKF – KUALA TERENGGANU

The NKF Patients’ Family Day event was held at the Dialysis Center on Friday, 23 September 2022 from 8am-12noon.

Staff members were on hand to greet 62 patients and their families with a welcome gift upon registration. Staff and patients alike sported the NKFsponsored and custom-designed T-shirts with pride.

The event opened with a welcome speech from Dr. Zaiha binti Harun, Consultant Nephrologist and PersonIn-Charge of NKF-Kuala Terengganu. In appreciation of her voluntary medical expertise and dedicated patient care, Sister Chee Gaik Tee, Centre Manager represented the dialysis centre staff and patients to present a hamper to her. The morning continued with a funfilled Zumba session where patients, their family members and staff joined in to exercise and limber up at the multipurpose area.

On 7 September, 2022 National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF) inked a partnership with Fresenius Medical Care Malaysia at a memorandum of understanding (MoU) signing ceremony at Axis Technology Centre. Both organizations will collaborate to use a Fresenius Medical Care International Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) initiative – The Kidney Kid to educate and entertain children about kidney health.

NKF and Fresenius Medical Care Malaysia will engage in a variety of activities, including partnership with schools and institutions to activate The Kidney Kid programme, with the ultimate goal of avoiding Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).

The partnership comes as a result of the growing number of kidney failure cases and the urgent need to educate Malaysians from an early age. The exciting activities begin on 7 December at Sri Bestari, a private school with on-the-ground events.

In addition to the activities that NKF and Fresenius Medical Care Malaysia will undertake, the educational materials will be easily accessible for teachers and caregivers through The Kidney Kid website http://www. thekidneykid.org to continue the kidney health learning experience for children in their care.

On 5 November 2022, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) of Malaysia launched the Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) Education Centre in Ipoh. In conjunction with the launch, the H.T.C Motorcycle Group (HTC) embarked on a convoy from Kuala Lumpur to Ipoh to attend the launch, being the main sponsor for the setup and renovation of the centre alongside Yayasan Dialisis Pendidikan Akhlak Perak.

HTC is a motorcycling club comprising over 150 Harley Davidson owners that gives back to the community as passionately as they are about biking. HTC has been supporting NKF Malaysia since 2017.
The centre aims to provide resources and information on best practices and choices on dietary and lifestyle changes as well as kidney replacement therapy specifically for underprivileged kidney disease patients. The services provided also include loan of devices such as Glucometer and Blood Pressure sets that allows them to monitor their health conditions at home.

“NKF has increased its resources significantly to promote the early detection and prevention of kidney and kidney-associated diseases. With the setting up of our regional units in Alor Setar (Kedah), Batu Pahat (Johor) Kota Bharu (Kelantan) and Kota Samarahan (Sarawak), we now can proceed with our health screening, outreach activities and intervention programmes in the suburban and rural areas. Today, marks another achievement for us by opening this CKD Education Centre in Ipoh,” said Ms. Khor Xin Yun, Chief Executive Officer of NKF.

“Care for Kidney (CKd)” is a free kidney health mobile application initiated by National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Malaysia. It is designed to promote kidney health and provide education on chronic kidney disease. The goal of this application is to encourage self-management and lifestyle changes. Patients are encouraged to undertake self-monitoring at home and keep a record.

Home blood glucose and blood pressure monitoring can give patients and professionals vital information in the management of diabetes and hypertension.