NKF brings education and outreach programmes to the doorstep of the community.

 

The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) is stepping up efforts to educate the community on preventing kidney disease with a first of its kind dialysis centre, which also doubles as a community education and outreach centre.

SCAL-NKF Dialysis Centre at Yishun Street 81, officially opened recently, in conjunction with the Nee Soon South (NSS) Community Club’s Community Health Fair. The Centre was made possible by a S$1.9 million sponsorship by the Singapore Contractors Association Limited (SCAL).

Unlike the rest of the NKF dialysis centres, which are not opened to the public, the SCAL-NKF Dialysis Centre has a community area specifically catered for the public. Nee Soon South residents can participate in programmes and activities organised by NKF, such as health screenings, nutrition workshops, health talks and exercise classes, which aim to encourage them to live healthily and prevent kidney disease. NKF patients while waiting for their dialysis are also able to interact with residents at the community area through the various activities and programmes and integrate back into the society.

 

More kidney failure cases

Every five hours, one person is diagnosed with kidney failure. NKF has seen a doubling of its net increase in patient numbers to 200 patients as compared to 100 previously. With this alarming and unrelenting rise in kidney failure cases, bringing the education and outreach programmes to the doorstep of the community is even more pressing than ever.

NKF chairman Koh Poh Tiong said, “We hope that through this education and outreach centre, we can drive home the importance of leading healthy lifestyles so that more people can avoid falling prey to debilitating chronic diseases such as kidney failure.”

Er Dr Lee Bee Wah, MP for Nee Soon GRC, added, “Diabetes and hypertension are the main causes of kidney failure cases and to reduce such risks, residents of NSS should lead a healthy lifestyle with a balanced diet, regular physical exercises, and not smoking. In addition, residents should go for early and regular screening for chronic diabetes and hypertension, which enables early detection and timely treatment to prevent the development of downstream complications like kidney failure.”

 

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