Foundation receives K60,000

By LULU MARK
THE National Fisheries Authority (NFA) has donated K60,000 to the Papua New Guinea Kidney Foundation (PNGKF) to help run the haemodialysis centre and continue creating awareness on kidney care and health.
Acting managing director Justin Ilakini said NFA had supported the health sector over the years as part of its corporate social responsibility, and was happy to partner with the foundation.
Port Moresby General Hospital nephrologist and doctor in charge of the foundation Dr Steven Bogosia said the foundation’s aim was to help provide affordable and quality hemodialysis to Papua New Guineans.
He said the foundation had been providing the bulk of the hemodialysis treatment to the people.
Bogosia said about 7,000 kidney patients had been treated since the the hemodialysis centre’s opening in 2013.
These were people mainly from the city but the number of kidney patients around the country was growing, he said.
“The donation we receive today will go a long way in helping us to procure medicines and supplies we use in dialysis and that help a lot of patients,” he said.
“Worldwide kidney failure is closely linked to diabetes and diabetes in PNG is on the rise and it’s still getting big and we don’t know how we can control it.
“We have given advice and a lot of community activities are going on in encouraging people to be careful about what they eat but people still go out and do what you tell them not to do in PNG.
“So it’s a very big challenge for us.”
He said the number of patients they saw a day had grown.