Kuala Lumpur, 23 July 2011 – Lung Foundation of Malaysia (LFM) recently organised a charity dinner at Shangri-La Hotel Kuala Lumpur, with the objective of raising funds to support the Foundation’s mission. The dinner was held conjunction with the Malaysian Thoracic Society’s (MTS) 25the Anniversary celebration, and was graced with the presence of His Royal Highness Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Alhaj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Alhaj, The Sultan of Selangor.

More than 400 guests attended including generous corporate organisations and responsible individuals who bought tables in support of LFM’s noble objective. The objective of the dinner was to raise funds for patients’ education initiatives under the auspices of the LFM, secondly to welcome and entertain the delegates of the Annual Congress of the Malaysian Thoracic Society and thirdly, to celebrate and commemorate the 25th Anniversary of the Malaysian Thoracic Society.

“The Foundation aspires to elevate the standard of care for lung diseases to the highest level possible through education, training and research. Ultimately, we hope every patient with lung disease in this country, will have access to proper treatment so that he/she can live as healthily as possible with minimal or no suffering,” said Dato’ Dr Zainudin bin Md. Zin, Chairman of LFM, in his opening speech.

Lack of awareness about a disease, especially its common symptoms and symptoms of deterioration and impending crisis, and the ways to cope with the disease is one of the key factors that contribute to high morbidity and sometimes mortality for many diseases. This is also true for common lung diseases like asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

Health education with the aim of enriching patients’ and their family’s knowledge about their illnesses and the way to manage and live with it, is part of the strategies to achieve a good control of the disease and better quality of life, beside the appropriate treatment itself.

Hence, the LFM Patient Education Fund was launched during the event by His Royal Highness The Sultan of Selangor. The special fund is dedicated towards educating patients on common lung diseases. As part of the educational programme, LFM will be organizing public lectures and exhibitions on lung diseases, and to further enhance awareness and education on the disease, distribution of educational flyers, pamphlets and CDs for patients will be conducted.

LFM, a non-profit organization, relies entirely on the support and contribution from the caring public; individuals or companies and its own fund raising initiatives. Over the years, LFM had organized several fund raising activities such as dinner, Charity Concert, Charity Bazarre, sales of merchandise, placement of tabung paru-paru/lung donation boxes and several other activities.

“With the funds that we collected, we had so far purchased 6 BIPAPS/Non-invasive ventilators, 5 Oxygen concentrators, one pulse oxymeter, one feeding pump, all worth about RM 130,000 to be given to patients. Although the equipments were given on loan, they will usually stay with the patients until they are no longer needed; either because the patients have recovered from their illnesses or they have died because to them. These equipments especially BIPAP/ventilators had allowed many patients who were dependent on them to be discharged from the hospital and be with their families at home,” said Dato’ Dr Zainudin.

The establishment of the Foundation was the brainchild of the MTS, a well-known organisation in the field of thoracic and respiratory medicine. For the past twenty years, MTS has successfully made numerous significant achievements in promoting awareness and publishing guidelines to manage asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD).

“With the formation of the Lung Foundation of Malaysia, the Society hopes that we can reach a wider group of patients to disseminate information and extend assistance to those in need,” said Associate Professor Dr Roslina Abdul Manap, President of MTS.

“I am very grateful to all our sponsors for making this charity dinner a success. As the Chairman of LFM, I will be working closely with my organization to ensure the funds raised tonight will be put into good use to improve the standard of care and treatment for patients with chronic lung disease,” said Dato’ Dr Zainudin.

Special thanks to Malaysian Thoracic Society, Malayan Flour Mills Berhad, Zalaraz Sdn Bhd, Tomypak Berhad, Top Glove Berhad, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals Sdn Bhd, Sleepworks Sdn Bhd, Damansara Specialist Hospital, PFM Capital Holdings, Boehringer Ingelheim Sdn Bhd, Nycomed Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, Norvatis, Symbiomed Sdn Bhd, AstraZeneca Sdn Bhd, Tenaga Nasional Berhad, Medical Apparatus Supplies Sdn Bhd, Persatuan Keluarga Anak-anak Penyakit Paru-paru Kuala Lumpur, Kelab Asma Kanak-kanak and all sponsors who had contributed graciously towards LFM.

Source: Lung Foundation Malaysia (LFM)