Pan Asia Bank helps rural sector kidney patients

Wednesday, 10 December 2014 00:00 - - {{hitsCtrl.values.hits}}

As part of its wide ranging Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities, Pan Asia Banking Corporation PLC last week conducted a health camp for a large number of patients suffering from kidney ailments.

The health camp was held at the Girandurukotte National Hospital, a rural town in the Badulla District in the Uva Province in collaboration with the ongoing ‘Manusath Derana’ program conducted by Derana Media Networks.

Chronic Kidney Disease (CKDu) is a major health problem afflicting the farming communities in the dry zone – Sri Lanka’s ‘rice-bowl’. According to a study by the World Health Organization, the decease is prevalence among 15.3% of the population in endemic areas-North Central, North Western and Girandurukotte in Uva province. Pan Asia Bank as a responsible Licensed Commercial Bank having identified this serious health issue and its negative consequences on the society and the economy decided to invest on uplifting the healthcare of this most crucial segment in the Lankan economy. The health camp held on November 29 saw over 1,000 people being diagnosed, receiving treatment and being advised for CKDu. It is estimated at present there are at least 10,000 CKDu patients receiving treatments in different parts of the country and at Girandurukotte hospital alone about 2,600 patients were undergoing treatment at one point. While there is little hope for CKDu patients, frequent dialysis (once every three days) may help a prolong life up to a point and for a single round of dialysis the government spends at least Rs. 7,000 and thus the rising number of patients will strain the government coffers. Only a kidney transplant will enable a CKDu patient to lead a normal life but that option is out of reach from these most impoverished sections of the population given the extremely high cost. Pan Asia Bank has long understood that in today’s sustainability in the corporate sector goes well beyond just making profits and meeting shareholder expectations. Hence the bank embraced the triple bottom line – profit, planet and people – and is intertwined with the corporate strategy.

The bank’s management is keen to continue the partnership with Derana TV to extend its support to the most needy segments of the society as the bank firmly believes in eradicating poverty, rural sector financial empowerment and financial inclusion and uplifting of the living standards as prerogatives in minimising social distress and regional disparities in the country’s march towards an upper middle income economy by 2020.