Charity dinner to raise RM500,000 for dialysis patients

A charity dinner to be held in Bukit Mertajam late next month will attempt to raise RM500,000 in order to meet the renovation costs of a local charity haemodialysis centre here.

The dinner, which will be held at St Anne’s Hall at 7.30 pm on May 28, will attempt to cover the renovation costs for the St Anne Haemodialysis Centre (PKHSA), which is increasing its capacity by 25 dialysis machines.

The dinner will run with the theme ‘I am a Lifeline to Kidney Patients’, referring to the help that the attendees will provide for kidney patients should they purchase tickets and donate to the cause.

“Fund raising in an ongoing process because our centre is a non-profit organization. The dialysis machines need maintenance, especially after five years. It is more viable to replace them after 8 years,” said PKHSA chairperson Johnny Ong.

The new expansion is expected to treat an additional 80 renal patients.

The centre, which is more than seven years old, is now serving some 30 patients with 11 machines, all of whom are from lower income groups.

The centre charges RM50 per treatment, though exceptions are made for those who can’t really afford the treatment.

The centre is run the Church of the St Anne of Bukit Mertajam, but is open for treatment for people from all races and religions.

Apart from donations, PKHSA also relies on its membership program to help provide the funds, where members are required to pay a RM10 monthly fee.

The membership program has yielded 182 catholic members and 98 non-catholic members.

For further information, please contact Johnny Ng (0124532652), or Joseph Lim (0124597198).