KUANTAN: There is no proven traditional cure for kidney problems and the public should not fall for such claims, says National Kidney Foundation vice-chairman Datuk Dr Zaki Morad Mohd Zaher.

He said there were cases where a patient's condition worsened after opting for alternative treatment.

"The public should be very careful as there are many claims made by those who provide the alternative treatments and medicines," he said after opening NKF's 21st dialysis centre here yesterday.

The centre, named after the second prime minister, Tun Abdul Razak, was opened by his widow, Tun Rahah Mohd Noah.

Dr Zaki said the centre only accepted cases for three types of treatment: haemodialysis, peritoneal dialysis and kidney transplant.
Haemodialysis requires a special machine to filter a patient's blood. In peritoneal dialysis treatment, a person's abdominal membrane acts as a filter.



There are about 20,000 kidney patients nationwide, with 17,000 of them on haemodialysis treatment.

More than 1,000 patients are having their haemodialysis treatment at NKF centres nationwide.

Centres in Kepong, Kuching and Kota Kinabalu will open this year. Dr Zaki said they had to be opened because the growth rate for kidney patients was 16 per cent annually.



Patients only pay RM50 per treatment at NKF centres as the cost of treatment is heavily subsidised by NKF and the government.

"They pay more than RM100 if they seek similar treatment at a private hospital or clinic. We also treat poor patients for free," Dr Zaki said.



Rahah urged the public to go for health screenings to ensure that they were free of kidney problems.

"Early detection will help the doctors to treat this silent killer."

She also witnessed the presentation of a mock cheque for RM803,231.91 by philanthropist Dr George Ananda to Dr Zaki for the construction of the NKF centre here. The money was raised during the Light Up a Life: Kamahl Charity Concert last November.