National Kidney Foundation launches Red Bean Assistance Programme to aid patients with anemiaJuly 25, 2019
(From left) Minister of Health Datuk Seri Dr Haji Dzulkefly Ahmad, Dato Dr Zaki Morad and Lance Duan, the general manager of Roche Malaysia at the media launch of Red Bean Assistance Programme.
National Kidney Foundation Malaysia (NKF) today announced the Red Bean Assistance Programme to help relieve the economic burden of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD) patients with anemia, especially from the low-income group.
The programme in collaboration with Roche Malaysia will be rolled out in the Klang Valley on August 1 and subsequently nationwide, starting January 1, 2020. Prevalence of CKD in Malaysia has increased from 9.07% to 15.5% with almost 40,000 patients on dialysis in 2016. Anemia is present in 75.8% of pre-dialysis Malaysian patients and it is more prominent as the disease progresses. Anemia is a condition of reduction of hemoglobin or red blood cells in the blood. Our kidneys make erythropoietin (EPO) that tells the body to make red blood cells. However, the level of EPO is reduced when our kidneys are diseased or damaged. Low EPO levels leads to the development of anemia. What makes matters worse is that chronic kidney disease patients also lose blood during hemodialysis treatments which further reduces the hemoglobin level. Datuk Seri Dr Haji Dzulkefly Ahmad, Minister of Health welcomed the corporate responsibility initiative by NKF and Roche Malaysia. “The well-being of kidney patients cannot be taken lightly. The Red Bean Assistance Programme will help meet the needs of kidney patients especially since this is a growing issue around the world, including Malaysia. “I am pleased to see that the Roche Cares innovative co-payment programme has now been extended for kidney patients," he said. “Kidney patients need long-term treatment and the cost to sustain dialysis is high, especially for those with renal anaemia. While the burden is difficult to bear for most patients, the hardest hit are those from the low-income group. NKF provides support and treatment at our 28 centres nationwide with more than 1,700 dialysis patients to manage. Through this innovative, co-payment programme, the cost of the patient’s ESA treatment is co-shared between the patient, NKF and Roche,” said Dato Dr Zaki Morad, chairman at NKF. Alleviating financial burden for CKD patients Under the Red Bean Assistance Programme, Roche Malaysia and the NKF will alleviate the financial burden for CKD patients by providing them with the treatment of an erythropoietin-stimulating agent (ESA) that signals the bone marrow produce more red blood cells. This innovative and once monthly medication simplifies renal anemia management for the patient. The name ‘Red Bean’ under the Red Bean Assistance Programme was selected for its visual resemblance in shape and colour to a kidney. The programme is expected to benefit more than 600 patients for the first year and 1,000 for the next two years, making it a total of more than 1,600 patients within the first three years. Patients who are currently receiving treatment outside of the NKF and who require additional (ESA) to optimize their treatment are eligible to apply. |
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