Kidney patient’s son carries on legacy of donating to NKF

In 1999, the National Kidney Foundation (NKF) needed money to set up a dialysis centre at its headquarters in Kim Keat Road. It turned to well-known philanthropist and founder of SUTL group Tay Choon Hye, telling him of the plight of the poor who, unlike him, could not afford expensive, life-saving dialysis.

Tay donated $5 million through SUTL, his ship chandling and trading company. He suggested adding aquariums to soothe patients undergoing the four-hour treatments. SUTL has since paid the maintenance cost of around $20,000 a year.

Tay, who suffered from kidney failure for about a decade, died in 2002, but his philanthropic legacy has lived on through his son, Arthur Tay, who now heads SUTL.

So it was not surprising that when the NKF needed to renovate the centre after 25 years, SUTL donated the $4 million needed to refurbish the centre, increase the number of dialysis stations from 21 to 36, and set up a clinic where patients with chronic kidney disease can be counselled. It also installed Singapore’s first Centralised Acid Concentrate Delivery System.

Arthur Tay was particularly keen on this system, which has reduced the number of 5-litre plastic containers that hold the acid concentrate at the centre by almost 30,000 a year.

“The reduction in plastic waste is especially meaningful,” he said. “As an avid diver, I have seen first-hand the amount of plastic waste in our waters, and it is something that pains me.”

He added: “My father believed that making money is not about hoarding it. It is about helping others who are in need.”

His favourite charities are the Singapore Heart Foundation and those in the West Coast and Pasir Panjang where he is a grassroots leader. He donates money for bursaries and helps to raise funds for the community.

But the bulk of his donations go to NKF because watching his father go through treatment gave him “a deeper appreciation of the resilience required of kidney patients, as well as the importance of compassionate and reliable dialysis care”. “That experience has stayed with me and continues to shape why this cause matters so much to me.”

He described NKF as “most compassionate, seriously focused and very well managed”. Hence his decision to donate the more than $33,000 in hongbao received on his 60th birthday to the NKF. He will do the same at his 70th birthday party in August 2026.

In 2023, SUTL donated $275,000 to NKF to celebrate its 55th anniversary.