NKF deserves continued support: Ho Ching
Posted: 18 July 2005 0618 hrs
Writing in her personal capacity, Ms Ho Ching, the CEO of Temasek
Holdings, has asked for continued support for the National Kidney
Foundation (NKF) which has come in for heavy criticism
recently.
She wrote:
I write in my personal capacity.
I have been a long-time admirer of the National Kidney Foundation
(NKF).
The NKF has been outstanding in supporting kidney and other
patients. They and their supporters have been tireless not just in
raising funds. They have played a key role in providing life saving
dialysis services for kidney patients and more.
They also counsel and sometimes cajole or even berate patients and
their families to take responsibility for themselves and make an
effort to live.
Patients and their families, including their children, are
encouraged to work together to contribute to their own support, and
not give up.
This helps them retain their self-respect and live their lives
confidently as full members of society. I cheer the NKF for this
enlightened philosophy.
Taking on a dialysis patient is almost like adopting a chronically
and critically ill child. You take responsibility not just to give
money at the spur of the moment in a flash of sympathy, or to
organise dialysis sessions for the week in a spurt of
enthusiasm.
You know that it is a serious life-long commitment of support. You
know that any interruption of that support means fear, a loss of
hope, and a death sentence of sorts. Many long-time Giro donors
understand this.
The NKF has wisely built up strong reserves over the years. It is a
sensible and responsible approach. The NKF's fears are
understandable. No one likes to have the dreadful responsibility of
deciding which patients should live when money dries up in an
economic downturn.
What if 10 per cent or 20 per cent of their patients or their
patients' breadwinners lose their jobs in an extended downturn?
Surely, you hope to continue dialysis for them even if they cannot
co-pay their part?
I would like to recommend that the NKF consider building and
managing its reserves as an endowment. It also needs a sufficient
buffer to weather a deep recession.
Perhaps this was what it had been trying to do. Perhaps the
prolonged years of difficulties during the Asian financial crisis
of the late 1990s and the earlier brink of the 1985 recession have
spurred the frenetic pace of fund raising in recent years.
But this funding model needs to be properly modelled, analysed and
communicated.
When the NKF completes its review and puts together its plans, do
share them. I am sure Singaporeans and many others share a chord of
sympathy for your cause.
On the issue of CEO pay, I believe that
even charities ought to be managed professionally. How else can we
extend high quality and impactful services including specialist
educational and therapy support to those in need? After all, we do
not expect CEOs of publicly-funded hospitals to be poorly paid, do
we?
Indeed, the NKF is more like a community hospital with multiple
centres for high-quality, life-long critical care. It operates and
manages dialysis centres to provide vital life-saving services at
the highest safety levels. It does this with a heart, looking after
the emotional and psychological well--being of its patients, too.
Taken as a whole, the NKF has certainly done very well for its
patients.
True, there will be volunteers, much admired and respected, with
independent means who could help charities without having to take a
single cent in salary.
There are also others - much loved and lauded - who for religious
reasons or perhaps in memory of a parent, child or friend, would
give selfless service to others. Society owes them all a debt of
gratitude and applauds their spirit of charity.
But we should not then believe that all those involved in
charitable causes should in turn be charitable cases
themselves.
Skilled specialists and experienced managers would soon turn to
other careers and job opportunities if they cannot earn a living
commensurate with their skills and ability. And we would all be the
poorer for it as services drop in quality or wither away.
Sometimes, in a life-threatening illness, all the money in the
world will not be able to bring a loved one back.
Mr Durai has helped make a difference in
the NKF where medical science has offered a lifeline, though at a
cost of tireless fund raising for life time dialysis support. I
would not begrudge Mr Durai a proper and well-earned compensation
and bonus. He probably earned less than what he would have earned
if he had continued in his profession as a lawyer.
Yes, some of the things that Mr Durai has allegedly done rather
raise a questioning eyebrow or two. Some may have crossed the line
of proper conduct in respect of conflicts of interest as well. If
so, they should be corrected.
It is also important to put in place a set of practical governance
guidelines to minimise conflicts of interest, especially for an
institution of public trust.
While the leadership of a CEO is critical to shape and drive any
organisation, it is equally important that the board balances its
support and guidance for its CEO, with its fiduciary duty. It has
to serve as an impartial guardian of stakeholder interest in a
public institution.
As a civilised society, we should not
lightly condemn anyone in the court of public opinion without the
benefit of due process and the right to a fair hearing. Even
murderers have that right.
If there has been corruption or misuse
of funds, then let the relevant authorities investigate and take
the case through due process for a fair and proper judgment.
There may have been errors of judgment. Most of us can
accept and forgive this.
On the other hand, we should resolutely guard against those with
serious faults of character and not put them into positions of
trust. But let's be fair and keep an open mind, and give the
benefit of doubt until the full facts are known.
These deliberations and decisions have important long-term
considerations and impact. They should be taken calmly and
steadily, away from the acid of hate and anger of betrayal.
Understandably, many feel betrayed. They feel they have been
deceived into making donations of hard-earned money. However, this
is no excuse for vandalising the NKF facilities, or heaping abuse
on NKF staff. Two wrongs won't make a right.
Let us not forget there are real patients who continue to need
dialysis support. I urge the staff of NKF to continue to support
them well, and not let this wave of fury shake them from their
mission and professionalism to serve their patients well.
