The Hua Hin Municipality and the Hua Hin Hospital will set up a kidney foundation to help Thai and foreign patients in the city. The idea on this project comes from the chairman of Puen Tai (Kidney’s Friend) Club in Hua Hin Mr. Phano Chanthawong. A retired director-general of Prachuab Khirikhan Provincial Office, Mr. Phano suffered from kidney diseases for 2 years, but he is better now.
Since he was cured, he has realized that approximately 400 male and female patients in Hua Hin and in neighboring areas were admitted to hospital because of kidney problems. Not only Thais but also foreigners in Hua Hin are now suffering from kidney problems which cost them a lot in medical treatment.
As a consequence, the Hua Hin Kidney Foundation will help the patients by giving basic but very useful information and advice on how to take care of themselves and providing more detailed information to each patient when they visit a doctor. Mr. Phano said that it was the first time that Hua Hin had a kidney foundation like other countries did. Apart from professional doctors of the Hua Hin Hospital who will take good care of the patients, well-known businesspeople and authorities like Mrs. Wanna Choksuchart, Mr. Jira Pongpaiboon, Mrs. Chidchaya Lohsirilak, Mr. Khathawut Panyapanich, Mr. Jongrak Jantaowng as well as teachers from Prachuab Khirikhan Municipal School have made some donation to support the Foundation’s work.
However, financial support can be made by anyone at the Hua Hin Hospital or the Foundation itself. Dr. Apiradee Chotkittipong from the Hua Hin Hospital said that more and more people were suffering from kidney diseases mainly because many of them had to spend more time to work and little time to eat good food. Now, fast food, known locally as junk food, and too sweet, too salty and too greasy foods are often eaten by many people, resulting in chronic kidney disease eventually.
Patients who have a kidney problem will pay around 30,000 Baht a month for dialysis or higher in case of kidney transplant. Dr. Apiradee added that, once people got chronic kidney disease, they would suffer from other complications, particular diabetes, heart disease and muscle pain. As a result, prevention is better than cure, and the Kidney Foundation in Hua Hin is glad to help both the patients and other people so that they have healthy life.
