The mission of “World Kidney Day 2014”, celebrated globally on 13 March 2014, is to raise awareness on the importance of our kidneys to our overall health and to reduce the impact of the disease and its associated health problems. This year the launch will be at 1 Utama Shopping Centre on 16 March 2014 from 9am onwards.
World Kidney Day (WKD) started in 2006 and has not stopped growing ever since. Every year, the campaign focuses on a theme. In its eighth year, recognition for WKD continues to grow, covering more than 100 countries in 6 continents and today, it has transformed into a global awareness campaign to attract members of the public to the importance of their kidneys.
The WKD 2014 Campaign will focus on chronic kidney disease and aging. The theme for this year’s campaign is “Kidneys Age, Just Like You”.
The objectives of WKD2014 are as follows:
- Raise awareness about our “amazing kidneys”
- Highlight that diabetes and high blood pressure are key risk factors for Chronic Kidney Disease
- Encourage systematic screening of all patients with diabetes and hypertension for CKD
- Encourage preventive behaviours
- Educate all medical professionals about their key role in detecting and reducing the risk of CKD, particularly in high risk populations
- Stress the important role of local and national health authorities in controlling the CKD epidemic.Health authorities worldwide will have to deal with high and escalating costs if no action is taken to treat the growing number of people with CKD. On World Kidney Day all governments are encouraged to take action and invest in further kidney screening
- Encourage Transplantation as a best-outcome option for kidney failure, and the act of organ donation as a life-saving initiative
If detected early, Chronic Kidney Diseases can be treated, thereby reducing other complications and dramatically reduce the growing burden of deaths and disability from chronic renal and cardiovascular. Many people are currently not aware that their kidneys are damaged and they might find out too late. The need for dialysis or transplantation can be avoided if kidney diseases are detected early.
In conjunction with World Kidney Day (WKD) 2014, the National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF), in collaboration with Celebrity Fitness is organizing the World Kidney Day Dance Marathon 2014 on Sunday, 16 March 2014 at the 1 Utama Shopping Centre from 9 am -1 pm
The Marathon involves 500 participants led by dancers from the famous “Celebrity Fitness” gymnasium and together all will be dancing from 10.00 am – 1.00 pm in the concourse of the shopping centre.
Lucky draws will be held and every participant will be eligible for the lucky prizes. There will be no winners for this event. The event is to encourage the public to exercise, raise funds as well as to create awareness and educate the public on kidney disease. Members of the public are encouraged to come forward to exercise through dancing for a good cause – to raise funds for poor kidney failure patients
Registration fee for the event is RM30 per participant, who will receive a t-shirt worth RM45. Kindly please visit NKF’s website for registration forms and further information.
Register online at simplygiving.com. RM2.00 per transaction will be charged by simplygiving.com
Registration ends when 500 registrants have been reached or on Monday, 3 March 2014.
For media enquiries, please contact Shobana/S.G. Teo at National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia
Tel: (03)79549048 (extension 237/270) Fax: (03) 79588215 or via email: sgteo@nkf.org.my
The National Kidney Foundation (NKF) Malaysia is a non-profit charitable organization dedicated to helping Malaysians suffering from end stage kidney failure who lack access to or cannot afford dialysis treatment. NKF currently has over 1,600 dialysis patients receiving subsidized dialysis treatment in our 28 dialysis centers nationwide.