The 30 Days to Happy Kidneys campaign aims to get Malaysians to commit to take better care of their kidneys by taking up the 30 Days to Happy Kidneys Challenge. The challenge features a 30-day calendar with a different daily activity that prompts members of the public to learn about kidney health and adopt kidney-healthy practices. The calendars are also being sold to raise funds for the NKF. Anyone who donates a sum of RM11 and above will receive one 30 Days to Happy Kidneys Challenge pledge card incorporating the calendar. Each card will have a unique serial number. The fundraising campaign will take place from 12 October 2015 until 17 January 2016. At the end of the fundraising period, Sunway Medical Centre will also make a donation to NKF matching the amount of funds raised from the public.

The campaign aims to raise funds to help NKF, from both the public and Sunway Medical Centre, to help support the cost of dialysis and other operating costs. Each patient is required to undergo 3 dialysis sessions every week for life, unless they are able to undergo a kidney transplant. NKF helps over 1,600 patients annually and spends close to RM15 million a year subsidising dialysis, while the total operational costs are approximately RM30 million a year, including running 27 centres nationwide, expenses for public education programmes, welfare contributions for hardcore poor patients and their children, professional training for personnel, transportation for patients, and replacement of equipment. Close to 60% of NKF patients are hardcore poor with household disposable income of less than RM800 per month, while the other patients also fall into the low-income category. In 2015 alone, NKF needs to replace four reverse osmosis water treatment systems costing RM120,000 each, 10 dialysis machines costing RM45,000 each, and 20 units of other dialysis-related machines such as dialyser reprocessors or artificial kidney machines costing RM32,000 each.

The 30 Days to Happy Kidneys Challenge contest

The 30 Days to Happy Kidneys Challenge sees more excitement with a contest to further encourage members of the public to take up the challenge. Every day, members of the public need to perform the activity indicated on the calendar and take a creative picture showing this. Then, on the same day, they should upload the photo on Instagram and caption it with a positive message and include the unique serial number on their pledge card, and tag it with #30daystohappykidneys and @sunwaymedical. There will be five mystery prizes given out per week. Participants can submit as many photos as they like and can win more than once. Photos with the highest number of likes will win. There will be one Grand Prize of flight tickets worth up to RM5,000 to be won at the end of the contest period. A participant who has participated in the 30 Days to Happy Kidneys Challenge contest will be selected through a random draw of serial numbers and be required to answer 3 questions on kidney health correctly to receive the Grand Prize. So, get more pledge cards and start participating in the daily challenge to stand a higher chance of being selected!

The last day of the contest will be on 15 November 2015 – to allow more time for collecting likes. This follows Sunway Medical Centre’s World Diabetes Day celebration on 14 November at Sunway Pyramid.

How to donate and get your pledge cards

The pledge cards are available for donors at Sunway Medical Centre and during the following World Diabetes Day roadshows by Sunway Medical Centre. Members of the public can also get free health screenings, play interactive games and get attractive freebies at the roadshows:

• Sunway Carnival, Penang on 17 October 2015 (Saturday)
• Menara Sunway, Bandar Sunway on 27 to 29 October 2015 (Tuesday to Thursday)
• Blue Concourse, Sunway Pyramid on 13 to 15 November 2015 (Friday to Sunday)

For the convenience of the public, they can also donate online at this website using their credit or debit card, or Maybank2u and CIMB Clicks accounts. They will receive a pledge card with a unique serial number through email within 3 days. Remember to select Other Amounts on the web form for a donation of RM11!