The Underdog Kidney Foundation

Excerpt taken from Channel News Asia's website

SINGAPORE : The National Kidney Foundation's (NKF) defamation suits against the Singapore Press Holdings (SPH) came to abrupt end on Tuesday at the High Court.

This, after its CEO TT Durai admitted during intense cross examination that some of the fittings in its headquarters, which were highlighted in a Straits Times article, were indeed extravagant for a public charity.

The article spoke of a glass panelled shower, a pricey German toilet bowl and a gold plated tap.

Mr Durai finally withdrew both his and the NKF's case against the SPH and its journalist Susan Long.

NKF's CEO was in the witness box for the second day and he was to be the only one.

Senior Counsel Davinder Singh's cross examination focused on several areas.

First, the business relationships Mr Durai had with NKF board member Ms Matilda Chua.

These were through two companies - Proton Web Solutions, a call centre operations based in India, which NKF had contracted its tele-marketing work to - and Global Net, in which Mr Durai himself had a stake.

Mr Durai also said he had held several directorships in addition to his work as CEO of the NKF.

Asked if he had informed the NKF Board of these appointments, he replied that it was not consequential and the Board gave him the liberty to do so.

The court also heard the NKF had a fleet of eight cars and drivers, which Mr Durai and its visiting guests and VIPs could use.

click here: for the complete article

Lesson of the day: DO NOT PISS OFF THE PRESS by trying to sue them

Your face might be on the papers the next day with your $600,000 a year salary being announced to the world. Not very good publicity if you are the CEO of a non-profit organisation dealing with public donations.

For those of you hesitating on/or giving up the idea of donating to NKF, for those who are not contented with the idea that your money intended for kidney patients was used to finance a gold plated tap among other things. There's another Kidney foundation...

Introducing...

Kidney Dialysis Foundation


KDF was set up in 1996 and they have a centre in Kreta Ayer. They "serve nearly 75% of the poorest kidney patients in Singapore". I think these guys are the ones who need the millions to help these patients.


Just check out their management policies:

Transparency
A number of policies have been implemented to ensure transparency of all commercial transactions.

Cost Effectiveness
To keep cost under control, KDF uses the principle of managed healthcare and subcontracts its dialysis services to a third party through an open tender. KDF pays the subcontractor a fixed fee to handle all dialysis treatment, nursing and ancillary staff and the maintenance of equipment.

Pre-determined Costs
To exercise absolute cost control and minimise administrative and overhead costs while delivering quality care, KDF has benefited from subcontracting because the subcontractors have to work within a given budget. Commercial and accounting records are transparent as costs are pre-determined.

Lean Operation
To keep costs low while providing quality treatment with state-of-the-art machines, KDF keeps its management team lean and trim with a large team of volunteers.

Accountability
Funds raised and money collected are utilised largely for patient treatment, and not for costly overheads and miscellaneous expenditure. Accountability extends to our financial statements that are easily available for scrutiny, and upon the request of donors.

The fact is, I've never heard about KDF until recently. I only found out about it's existence when we passed a road sign pointing to the KDF compound in I can't remember where now (some ulu place in Singapore).

At first thought, I had the impression that it was related to NKF. Pardon my ignorance, because I don't have much exposure to charitable organisations but aren't they supposed to help out their poor cousin the KDF by sharing some of their wealth? Apparently "KDF is an independent organisation and is not affiliated to any other kidney organisation in Singapore". I guess no one is going to their aid except the public and I say we help the underdogs...too.