#AirAsiaMAKNA 2016 raises RM350,000

Through the #AirAsiaMAKNA campaign, every 10 sen for every flight booking made on its website airasia.com from Aug 15 to Sept 16 would being donated to the national cancer charity body.

AirAsia Berhad CEO Aireen Omar said the campaign signifies the airline's long-term commitment towards the cause.

"AirAsia remains committed in helping cancer patients nationwide battle the disease. This is part of our commitment in giving back to the communities as we look forward to continue positively impact the lives of the people around us," she told after presenting the donation to the body at the #AirAsiaMAKNA2016 Cancer Benefit Event and Concert here Sunday.

Last year, the same campaign raised close to RM265,000 for MAKNA and this made the total funds collected to date of more than RM650,000.

Aireen said the idea of the cancer awareness initiative came up after studies showed that five percent of the country's population were at risk of suffering the deadly disease when reaching the age of 75.

"We are motivated by the fact that our efforts and donations will be directed towards providing curative, preventive, research and support services to cancer patients and their families in Malaysia," she added.

Also present at the event were MAKNA Board of Trustee, Professor Tan Sri Datuk Dzulkifli Abdul Razak, who received the RM350,000 donation by AirAsia on behalf of MAKNA.

In his speech, Dzulkifli said such collaborative efforts and social consciousness were essential to ensure aid reached those in need without delay and interruption, giving patients a better chance at survival.

"Every year, countless numbers of people lose their fight against cancer not because of the lack of treatment options, but owing to the lack of financial means to fund treatment and the lack of awareness in taking better ownership of their health," he said.

Meanwhile, Dzulkifli urged the government to exempt MAKNA from paying the Goods and Services Tax (GST).

This he said was because 88 percent of government hospitals referred its patients suffering from cancer to MAKNA.

"We receive about 5,000 cancer cases every year and a lot of our patients cannot afford to pay for their medical treatment.

"We should be able to be exempted from paying GST when purchasing medical supplies and medicines for our patients. We hope the government can consider our plea for the benefit of those suffering this killer disease," Dzukifli added.