National Kidney Foundation history

The first major national fund raising campaign took place in 1956 and was a complete success, raising $400,000.

Since 1963, the Arizona Kidney Foundation has been the major state voluntary health agency seeking the solution for kidney and urinary tract diseases through education, prevention and treatment.

The NNF was the inaugural lay group that ultimately became the National Kidney Foundation in 1964.

In December 1966, the press highlighted the plight of Harry Kydd who was suffering from end-stage kidney failure and severe hypertension.

The first NKF research fellowships were awarded in 1968.

With the approval from the Registrar of Societies, National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF) was launched at the Lake Club, Kuala Lumpur under the patronage of the Rotary Club of Petaling Jaya on 16 January 1970.

Plante C 1971 Medicare Amendment: Reflections on the passage of the end-stage renal disease Medicare program.Am J Kidney Dis.

This law established an End Stage Renal Disease (ESRD) benefit within Medicare, the federal program that covers medical care for the elderly and disabled. It included a milestone achievement in 1972-- the passage of legislation that provided federal government financing for nearly all Americans with kidney failure.

The American Journal of Kidney Diseases (AJKD) was launched by NKF in 1981 and has become the go-to resource for cutting-edge clinical science, together with NKF's three other peer-reviewed publications.

NKF was a leader in crafting and passing the National Transplant Act in 1984 which prohibited the sale of organs.

In 1989, the NKF invited a donor family member to participate in a national task force investigating ways to increase donation.

In 1991, NKF’s aspiration to set up a model dialysis unit at Jalan Hang Lekiu, Kuala Lumpur was made possible with the funds raised through a Telethon project and donations from the Ministry of Welfare.

In 1992, the National Kidney Foundation formed the National Donor Family Council (NDFC).

Mr Lynn Kulasingam, formerly of the Auditors General’s Office was invited to be a member of the Board of Governors at its first meeting on 17th August 1994.

The National Donor Family Quilt was created in 1995 to provide families an opportunity to remember loved ones in a special and creative way.

The first issue of NKF’s quarterly “SHARE” newsletter was published in January 1996; since then it has been a useful channel for the organization to have direct communication with our donors, peers, stakeholders, patients and the public.

Tan Sri Datuk Clifford F. Herbert joined the Board of Governors when Dato’ Lee Lam Thye retired in 1997.

Year 2000 onwards, various organizations have pitched-in and joined NKF as partners in setting up dialysis centres.

The 2002 Chronic Kidney Disease clinical practice guideline established the landmark "Five Stages of Kidney Disease," highlighting for the first time the opportunity for slowing the disease and preventing complications through early detection.

One of NKF's most valuable assets is the "Kidney Learning System," or KLS, established in 2003 as the core of NKF's education programming.

To expand this effort, NKF launched the Take Action Network in 2007, an e-advocacy system that allows people to immediately email their representatives in Congress when urgent legislative and policy issues arise.