No Passing Up
Datin Dr Norella Kong is a name and force to be reckoned with in the field of nephrology, being a major proponent for advances in kidney treatment using technology in Malaysia. Here, the doctor spills the beans on how it all started and continued on
Caring for others is in the DNA of Datin Norella Kong who is dedicated to change (and save) the lives of the underprivileged
Two frequent questions flit through Datin Dr Norella Kong’s thoughts: “Will the new generation of healthcare workers be as dedicated as those of our generation; and when we are old and infirmly, will they look at us with as much love and care as we’ve shown our patients?” These are the kind of questions that stem from her being a natural caregiver at heart, and by profession, as for the longest years—if not most of her life—she has fought relentlessly to change the lives of underprivileged patients who were diagnosed with Endstage Kidney Disease (ESKD).
In the 1980s, seeing as there was a dire lack of kidney replacement treatments, Dr Norella, as part of a group of pioneer workers who had just returned from their studies abroad, had to work together to lobby the public, the government and other NGOS, institutions and big corporations to donate to a good cause. That good cause was aimed at saving countless lives, considering dialysis and kidney transplant were already widely available everywhere else but Malaysia.
She recalls the year 1983, where her superior Tan Sri Abu Bakar Suleiman—also a renowned figure in the realm of nephrology— had gathered a few local nephrologists serving in the public sector to found the Malaysian Society of Nephrology, as Malaysia was slated to host the sixth Asian Colloquium in Nephrology in 1985. Along with the planning of said event, Dr Norella was also tasked with fundraising as well as creating public awareness under the aegis of the National Kidney Foundation (NKF).
“Together with NKF board members and committee, Datuk Dr G Sreenevasan, chartered accountant and Rotarian Michael Teh, staff nurse Chong Kwai Fong plus with help from our medical, nursing and paramedical colleagues, the first NKF Walkathon was held in late July 1985,” she says. “This was followed by a highly successful fundraising dinner which featured the thenleading singer, Sudirman Arshad; his brother was our urology colleague Dr Roslan Arshad.”
This was accomplished while Dr Norella herself had her own heavy medical workload and day job. “I had to draft all the posters myself, got the artist to draw them up, 40 in all, and within a very tight budget too.” But, this of course, did not go to waste. Their first Kidney Awareness Week was held. This was followed by a flurry of other activities such as the one-month nationwide fund-raising telethon on RTM, wherein donations were channelled to both the National Heart Foundation and the NKF. “I recall us nephrologists having to rotate to go to RTM for direct broadcast and phone-in Q&A sessions over the air. We were instant celebrities!”
In return, the princely sum of RM1.5 million ringgit from the donations were apportioned to the NKF, prompting them to launch the first Ngo-run and governmentsubsidised chronic haemodialysis centre for the public at large in 1993.
“Looking back, we were so young, idealistic, fearless, dedicated, energetic and oh-so-optimistic, fighting against the odds. We were on the go-go-go all those years, working hard to save patients’ lives, giving them hope of surviving ESKD,” says Dr Norella. They were a team, serving a cause
“Never be calculative and give from the goodness of your heart without expecting returns; do it out of love”
so grand, and a dream so beautiful. The camaraderie then drove them to achieve sustainable treatment for ESKD patients for all levels of Malaysian society in some 10 years.
Dr Norella then served as the vice president of NKF from 1994 to 1996, and spent much time drafting the working papers for government-sponsored chronic haemodialysis for deserving non-civil servants (fondly known as the RM49 HD) where the government pays RM50 per session. The NKF has then moved on to establishing more than 26 haemodialysis centres around Malaysia as of late 2018, and we reckon the number will continue to rise.
Her work did not stop there; Dr Norella has gone to found the Malaysian Systemic Lupus Erythematosus (SLE) Association, served as the scientific chair at the World Congress of Nephrology in 2005, and set up the first national physician training programme at the faculty of medicine in UKM, the national subspeciality nephrology training programme under the nephrology board of Malaysia and the post basic renal nursing course.
Indeed, her medical background can stem books, which she agreed to by saying, “That’s another long chapter of my life!” However, one can find her at the MAA Medicare Charitable Foundation most days, where she can be engaged in thoughtful and meaningful conversation.
“Following the launch and success of the NKF’S first Ngo-sponsored haemodialysis centre in 1993, MAA too felt they needed to give back to society in kind,” explains Dr Norella. “I was roped in as medical advisor and visiting nephrologist in 1994; MAA Medicare has since established some 13 haemodialysis centres locally and I’m most proud to have had this lifelong association.”
She continues to serve (25 years on) in the same capacity and was appointed to their board of trustees—making her the longestserving member in the foundation. She ends our interview with this piece of advice: “Never be calculative and give from the goodness of your heart without expecting returns. Do it out of love; be it for your job, calling, family, patients, or others but not because of the ‘rewards’ you may reap in this world or the next.”