PETALING JAYA, Thurs For a mere RM2, you can find out if you have symptoms of kidney disease.
The National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF) is offering health screening services at its 19 dialysis centres from Feb 19.
The public can have the tests done on the first and third Sunday. In the east coast States, it will be done every alternate Friday, from 8am to noon.
NKF board of managers chairman Dr S.S. Gill said today: "It is advisable to do a health screening as many people are unaware that their kidneys are damaged until they have a medical examination."
There are over 12,000 people on dialysis at 320 haemodialysis centres nationwide.
According to Dr Gill, each year, an additional 2,500 Malaysians require haemodialysis treatment or face death unless they undergo a kidney transplant.
NKF vice-chairman Datuk Dr Zaki Morad Zaher, who is also the Health MinistryÂ’s consultant nephrologist, said diabetes mellitus and hypertension were now the leading causes of kidney failure in the country.
"One-third of diabetics will develop kidney disease," he said at the launch of the health-screening campaign at NKF headquarters.
He said kidney stones and urinary tract infections could also lead to kidney failure. Another factor is family history.
"The number of Malaysians suffering from end-stage renal failure increased more than 56-fold between 1980 and now — from 43 in 1980 to 12,000," he added.