Seminar raises awareness on chronic kidney diseases
KOTA KINABALU: KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital, a pioneer in providing quality and specialized renal services in the private healthcare institution of Sabah, hosted a full day seminar on ‘Optimizing Management of Chronic Kidney Diseases Patients’ at the hospital conference hall last Sunday.
The first APKCPM Continuing Medical Education in Borneo was organized by the Association of Private Kidney Care Providers of Malaysia (APKCPM) was a huge success and led to greater awareness for the attendees.
The informative seminar, featuring lectures and workshops from experts in the field of research and nephrology, was attended by more than 160 delegates.
Dr Morris Wo, president of APKCPM, said the seminar inspired attendees with new approaches for idea generation and practical applications on their daily practice.
KPJ Sabah Specialist Hospital consultant nephrologist Dr Bharathan said: “Treatmentresistant hypertension is an increasingly recognised problem and is markedly over-represented in patients with chronic kidney disease”.
In his lecture, he touched on many of the pressing issues surrounding this topic and concluded that medication compliance, appropriate blood pressure measurement, salt intake and lifestyle factors are the cornerstone of blood pressure management.
Dr Kenneth Wu, consultant nephrologist from KPJ Damai, emphasized on the importance of being vigilant in regularly monitoring the heart function of a patient with renal failure.
“Kidney failure can affect the heart and sudden death is common in dialysis patients. Therefore, patients with kidney failure are likely to benefit substantially if they are monitored regularly,” said Dr Wu.
Miranda Harumal, chief executive officer of KPJ Sabah, commented that such seminar helps to bridge the gap between theory and practice.
“Our haemodialysis centre is well known for its expertise in the treatment of complex and advanced kidney-related diseases. With World Kidney Day just around the corner, the seminar offers the opportunity for contributions towards kidney health, diseases, complications, treatment and management,” concluded Miranda.