KUALA LUMPUR, July 28 — The National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF) has opened the country’s first peritoneal dialysis and chronic kidney disease education centre in Selayang today.
Peritoneal dialysis is a treatment for kidney failure that uses the lining of the patient’s abdomen or belly to filter the blood inside the body.
The centre aims to provide peritoneal dialysis training and support services as well as chronic kidney disease education services for free to the community.
It includes providing information and support about dietary and lifestyle changes and assisting patients in choosing the right kidney replacement therapy be it kidney transplant, peritoneal dialysis, haemodialysis or palliative care.
NKF Malaysia chief executive officer Khor Xin Yun said with the newly-launched centre, the foundation hopes to help nephrologists in patient care with quality Peritoneal Dialysis support services including training, retraining, transfer of patient’s set to change, dressing of the exit site and home visits.
“My sincere appreciation to the nephrologist fraternity, the Health Ministry, industry partners and community partners like Rotary Club for constantly helping Malaysians and non-governmental organisations like NKF.”
The initiative covers a range of services for patients with different stages of kidney failure.
Those with stage two and three kidney failure will be provided with advice on dietary and lifestyle adjustments.
For more advanced cases (stages four and five), patients will be guided to dietary changes and to choose suitable kidney replacement therapy.
Additionally, the centre will lend glucometer and/or blood pressure monitoring sets to patients in stages two to five for home monitoring, facilitating better health condition tracking.
Malaysian Society of Nephrology president Dr Lily Mushahar lauded the initiative and said the launch can further strengthen the government’s commitment towards managing chronic kidney disease.
“I take this opportunity to call on all Malaysians to adopt a healthy lifestyle together and conduct regular check-ups to ensure optimal health.”
