Fisheries Donation To Kidney Foundation

National Fisheries Authority (NFA) has assisted the PNG Kidney Foundation (PNGKF) with a donation of K60,000.

It is the first time for NFA to donate to PNGKF, though not the first time to donate to the health sector and community at large. A delighted Chairman of the PNG KF, Sir Martin Poh expressed appreciation for the kind donation.
“We’ve been operating for the past 11 years and I was so happy when my CEO told me that there’s a donation from the Fisheries, I just came here to get this message and I’d like to thank you so much for the support,” Sir Martin said.

Sir Martin added that since they had set up their own clinic they have been charging clients a lot less, however, there are still people who cannot afford the very minimum of K150 for a kidney dialysis.

NFA’s donation came as part of its corporate social responsibility in extending benefits derived from fisheries to social initiatives such as PNGKF and others within the Health Sector and the wider social network.

“At the NFA we are the custodians of the fisheries resources in PNG and a lot of times our people don’t benefit from that revenue or the benefits that we derive. So through our social responsibility function that’s a way of giving back to our people that they can also benefit from the resources that they actually own themselves,” said NFA Acting Managing Director Justin Ilakini.

Handover documents were signed for the K60,000 cheque donation to PNGKF.

Dr. Steven Bogosia, the Kidney Specialist said Papua New Guineans are being affected by non-communicable diseases such as kidney diseases at an alarming rate.

“NCDs or Non-Communicable diseases like diabetes being the leading cause, followed by hypertension or BCT, in PNG we seem to top the three at an alarming rate,” said Dr. Bogosia.

Sir Martin said a kidney disease can be cured. He added that in other countries where people can afford, there are kidney patients who are still able to get their dialysis and go to work, whereas in PNG the most common thing is to send the patient back home to wait for fate to take its course.

Author: 
Frieda Kana