Gardiner Foundation to host global forum against kidney disease
The Gardiner Foundation will host an international forum at the Gall Face Hotel on Monday, 19th December with a launch an organized ‘battle’ against kidney disease. This is in association with the International Society of Nephrology (ISN) based in Brussels.
The Overarching purpose in the formation of the ‘ISN-Gardiner CKDu Fund‘ is for the prevention and treatment of Chronic Kidney Disease (CKDu) worldwide.
The whole project is an initiative of the President Maithripala Sirisena aimed at alleviating suffering from CKDu. This is the first time a head of state has stepped out to actively mobilize International support.
This is the first time that ISN has partnered with an organisation that is outside those in medical related associations. The foundation will help to prevent, treat and solve the problem of CKDu (Chronic Kidney Disease of undetermined origin) in Sri Lanka and in many other countries around the world.
The event will streamline a mechanism to effectively deal with and prevent chronic kidney disease in Sri Lanka and worldwide. It will also assist Sri Lanka to obtain valuable insights from the world to com- pact and prevent kidney diseases and also obtain equipment and funds.
ISN based in Brussels is a powerful world body with donor funds and this is the first time that it partnered with an organization outside of medical related associations for a partnership of this nature.
The association of Group Chairman of Galle Face Hotel Sanjeev Gardiner and Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD), began when President Maithripala Sirisena appointed him as the brand ambassador of the National Kidney Fund which was established in line with the sustainable program to control CKD according to the concept of the President.
President Sirisena after making the appointment emphasised that special attention should be paid on using agricultural chemicals when farming and he further said that everyone should fulfil their responsibilities to save people from this tragedy and should conduct broad awareness programmes.
The donations to the National Kidney Fund were also officially handed over to the President. These included donations from CleanCo Lanka who donated Rs.5 million and Sri Lanka Telecom donated Rs. 2 million while the Department of Motor Traffic donated Rs. one million and the Chairman of the Galle Face Hotel, Sanjeev Gardiner donated Rs. 5.4 million for the fund.
Gardiner, who owns and manages a domestic chain of hotels through the Hotels Corporation and other entities without keeping his appointment letter to rust in the shelves, got moving right away.
He first studied the local scenario and drew up a sketch to combat CKD. He then invested Rs. 30 million to install several water purification plants in the Anuradhapura and Polonnnaruwa areas which were identified as CKD prone areas.
He then realised that that this was not enough and much more had to be done.
Gardiner then secured the help of the Indian nephrologist Prof. Georgi Abraham of the Pondicherry Institute of Medical Sciences, who is also Consultant and Director of Nephrology at the Madras Medical Mission Hospital in Chennai. Prof. Abraham is involved in the prevention and treatment of CKD both in India and internationally. He was then a member of the Governing Council of the ISN.
Through him other means Gardiner them made contact with International Society of Nephrology (ISN) based in Brussels and spelled out the Sri Lanka story. The ISN then agreed to assist Sri Lanka and as a result an agreement for ISN-Gardiner Foundation was inked.
“This has helped to put Sri Lanka CKD case in a more focused manner to the world and give it an international perspective,” Galle Face Hotel Senior Vice President Chandra Mohotti,a silent motivator of this project said.