Dialysis centre aims to help the needy
Affordable treatment a boon for kidney patients
PETALING JAYA: The light orange dome of Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Aziz, a landmark building along the busy Jalan Templer here, often captures the attention of passers-by.
But few are aware that there is a dialysis centre within the mosque itself.
The centre has been running since 2010, treating patients with kidney problems regardless of their background, race and religion.
“Anyone can fall ill, Muslim or non-Muslim. We have patients from various races and nationalities, including Libyan, Eurasian, Malay, Chinese and Indian,” said Harun Mohamad, the manager of the centre.
The space allocated for the dialysis centre was originally meant to house a cafeteria.
“It now has seven dialysis machines running two shifts which can treat 24 patients in total,” said the 63-year-old Harun, a retired engineer who is a member of the Masjid Jamek Sultan Abdul Aziz
Association, a non-profit NGO which manages the 2,000sq ft centre.
Patients are charged RM170 per treatment, which Harun said is lower than many other centres.
“We allow patients who cannot afford to pay the full amount to just pay whatever they can,” he said, adding that most of the centre’s patients were referrals from nearby hospitals.
The centre works closely with the
Social Security Organisation and the Buddhist Tzu-Chi Merits Society Malaysia.
It costs RM60,000 a month to keep the centre running, said Amaluddin Mohd Rose, another member of the association.
Othman Jaffar, a committee member of the association, said several Petron Malaysia dealers from the Klang Valley and East Coast were organising a charity campaign
at selected petrol stations, targeting donations of RM150,000.
For each bottle of mineral water the petrol stations sell, 10 sen will be donated to the centre.
Othman added that the association was in talks with another mosque to set up a second dialysis centre.
The association is also looking for volunteers to fetch patients who have no transport.