NILAI: Fresenius Medical Care Production Sdn Bhd’s regional manufacturing plant in Bandar Enstek, which opens here today, will produce about five million bags of Continuous Ambulotary Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) a year, which will be used for end-stage kidney failure patients.
Chief Executive Officer of Fresenius Medical Care Asia-Pacific, Harry de Wit said, the plant, which would also be key production hub in Asia, would benefit the Malaysian economy in terms of import substitution, investment, employment and exports of over RM1 billion.
“The Enstek plant, our 38th globally, will add a significant new dimension to our footprint in Malaysia … what you see today is the first phase of our investment and development plan for Enstek.
“The plant has the capacity to produce about five million bags per year. In different phases the plant will be expanded to about 25 million bags.
“From here we will export to other Association of South-East Asian Nations and South Asian countries,” he said at the opening of the plant here today.
Health Ministry Secretary-General, Datuk Dr Chen Chaw Min, officiated the opening.
Chen, said with this plant the company would transfer this state-of-the-art technology, equipment and knowledge to Malaysia.
“With this important milestone, we will be even closer to patients here in the country offering locally the best treatment outcomes without the need to import.
“With our production in Enstek, we are now the first local CAPD manufacturer in the country and will ensure a self-sufficient local supply for patients in Malaysia … only with public-private partnerships, we can achieve what is best for the country,” he said.
CAPD is a form of dialysis that uses the natural lining of the patient’s abdomen to filter wastes from the blood and patients can perform CAPD in the comfort of their home.
Meanwhile, Chen said, this facility was the latest project successfully completed under National Key Economic Area’S Entry Point Project 14 (EPP 14) and it was the first CAPD manufacturing plant in Malaysia.
“Fresenius Medical Care’s Project WAU is one such EPP… This project manufactures key products – quality hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis fluids using the latest technology.
“Project WAU’s total investment is over RM260 million with the potential of generating import substitution savings of about RM660 million to the country’s healthcare system,” he said.
Ministry recognised the advantages of CAPD in that it can be done by the patient at home, affording better life style choices and this therapy also does has some physiological benefits to patients including the retention of residual kidney functions.
– BERNAMA