TANKER Foundation received the award for Best NGO in the Healthcare sector at the TANCARE conference

Jan 30, 2020

TANKER Foundation received the award for Best NGO in the Healthcare sector at the TANCARE conference
TANKER Foundation received the award for Best NGO in the Healthcare sector at the TANCARE conference

TANCARE conference arranged by the Govt of Tamil Nadu and FICCI

Almost 2.5 lakh people die of kidney failure in India every year. It is the third largest killer after malignancy and heart disease. Millions suffer from some form of kidney disease and many of them, particularly in India cannot afford the cost of treatment or care. Around 14440 people get kidney failure every year in Tamilnadu alone, and only 10% have access to treatment.

 TANKER (Tamilnad Kidney Research) Foundation is a registered non-profit charitable organisation started in June 1993 with the aim of helping under-privileged patients with kidney disease by giving subsidised dialysis and one time financial help for medication, investigation and transplantation and spread awareness about kidney disease. TANKER cares for those, the underprivileged, who suffer kidney problems of any kind, reversible or terminal, regardless of caste, creed, sex or religion.

We have completed 26 years of service for the underprivileged with kidney ailments. With your help, we have meaningfully contributed to healthcare, research, training and advocacy connected to kidney disease. From June 1993 till December 2019, TANKER has provided 318,593 free and subsidized dialysis for 1562 patients. We have also given financial support of Rs. 313 Lakhs to 3282 patients as one-time contributions ranging from Rs. 5,000/- to Rs. 50,000/- for transplantation, medication, investigation and fistula surgery costs.

Our eight subsidized dialysis units have a total of 126 Dialysis Stations situated in 1. Ambattur Rotary Hospital, Chennai, 2. Arogya Trust, Chokkikulam, Madurai, 3. RVS College of Nursing, Kannampalayam, Coimbatore, 4. Corporation P.H.C, Nungambakkam along with Rotary Club of Madras East Chennai, 5. Thiruverkadu with Rotary Club of Madras West Chennai, 6. Vellore with Rotary Club of  Vellore Fort 7. Corporation U. P. H. C, Retteri along with Rotary Club of Chennai Towers, Chennai, and 8. Perungudi with Corporation U.C.H.C. We do 4941 dialyses per month, of which 4743 are free of cost with valuable help from the Chief Ministers Comprehensive Health Insurance Scheme (CMCHIS), Greater Chennai Corporation and other valuable donors. At present, we help 559 patients in our units. We also have a dialysis facility at PIMS, Pondicherry. In November 2009, we started our HIV Dialysis Unit for underprivileged HIV patients, the first of its kind in India.  We also support Kerala Kidney Research Foundation, which provides free and subsidized dialysis at Thiruvalla Medical Mission, SH Hospital, Kottayam and PVS Hospital, Kochi (Kerala). We have recently also donated 4 machines worth Rs. 24 Lakhs.  In February 2016, TANKER helped Catholic Mission Centre Hospital, Imphal, Manipur with 4 machines and equipment worth Rs. 33 Lakhs. TANKER along with The Madras Medical Misson has donated a machine to the Daressalaam GH in Tanzania.

Along with helping our patients, spreading the word about kidney disease is equally important to TANKER. We have reached out to more than 1.87 lakh people with the 1259 Awareness Programmes we conducted at schools, colleges, law enforcement offices and public forums. We have also screened 34,803 individuals for early detection of kidney disease through our 403 screening camps. As the field of research in kidney diseases requires more attention and guidance in India, TANKER also gives awards for research in Nephrology and Service to the tune of Rs. 8 lakhs every year.