Kidney Treatment Costs Surge To RM3.3 Billion A Year - Dzulkefly

SHAH ALAM, April 12 (Bernama) -- The cost of treating end-stage chronic kidney disease (CKD) in Malaysia has surged sharply from RM572 million in 2020 to RM3.3 billion annually at present, following a steady rise in cases each year.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the situation reflects a growing financial burden on the country, in addition to having a significant impact on patients’ lives.

“In 2010, Malaysia spent RM572 million on treating end-stage CKD, but today the figure has risen to RM3.3 billion annually.

“This burden not only affects patients’ quality of life, but also places a very heavy financial strain on our country,” he said when officiating the National World Kidney Day 2026 observance at Wisma Majlis Bandaraya Shah Alam (MBSA) here today.

He added that the prevalence of CKD in Malaysia has also recorded a worrying increase, rising from nine per cent in 2011 to 15.5 per cent last year.

Elaborating further, he said that on average, 28 Malaysians are diagnosed with kidney failure each day and are forced to begin dialysis treatment to survive.

“More than five million Malaysians are currently living with CKD, but only five per cent are aware of it. If we fail to act decisively today, more than 106,000 Malaysians are expected to require dialysis treatment by 2040, a highly alarming figure,” he said.

In this regard, Dzulkefly said the government is also emphasising the importance of prevention to reduce the burden of the disease.

The main cause of kidney failure in Malaysia is complications from diabetes mellitus, and patients cannot rely solely on dialysis to overcome the crisis without addressing its root causes.

“The government has increased the sugar-sweetened beverage (SSB) tax to 90 sen per litre effective Jan 1, 2025, as a measure to curb the main cause of the disease.

“Revenue from the excise duty on SSB in 2025 reached RM54.9 million, with RM21 million channelled back to the Ministry of Health Malaysia (MOH),” he said.

At the same time, he said that the funds are being used to finance treatment with Sodium-Glucose Cotransporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitors, which can reduce the risk of CKD complications.

Earlier, Dzulkefly officiated the national-level World Kidney Day 2026 observance, organised by the National Kidney Foundation (NKF), which was also attended by Selangor Public Health and Environment Committee chairman Jamaliah Jamaluddin.

In another development, Jamaliah said the state government is strengthening public health efforts by focusing on kidney disease awareness campaigns, including expanding collaboration with NKF to enhance organ donation-related initiatives.

The collaboration, she said, is expected to combine aspects of health and environmental sustainability to address kidney disease, which is increasing every year.

In addition, Jamaliah said the state government is reviewing cooperation with the NKF to expand organ donation campaigns as one of the long-term solutions to kidney failure, and this move is expected to reduce reliance on dialysis, which places pressure on both patients and the healthcare system.

"Each session at the dialysis centre requires around 250 litres of water, so increasing organ donations can reduce the treatment burden.

"However, the rate of organ donation pledges is still low, and this is the main challenge, including situations where the wishes of donors are not respected by family members after death,” she said.

Elaborating, Jamaliah said her committee is assessing the need to expand kidney health screening programmes in the future, noting that there is no specific screening programme thus far.

She added that the state government is prepared to reassess kidney health policies in light of current trends in non-communicable diseases. 

-- BERNAMA