KUCHING: Datuk Seri Fatimah Abdullah on Wednesday (Oct 13) handed over two hemodialysis machines to the Sarawak Heart Centre.
The Welfare, Community Wellbeing, Women, Family and Childhood Development Minister disclosed that the two machines worth RM83,000 would increase the number of machines at the centre.
She explained that more machines wee needed due to the increased number of patients undergoing treatment at the centre.
The hemodialysis machines were handed over to the centre’s director Dr Mohd Asri Riffin.
“The special assistance for kidney patients (BPBP) is an initiative by the state government to reduce the burdens faced by kidney patients in need of treatment. This assistance was approved by the Majlis Mesyuarat Kerajaan Negeri (MMKN) at the beginning of 2020.
“This year, the Social Welfare Department (JKM) Sarawak has purchased six hemodialysis machines via tender. One machine costs RM41,500, thus the total expense of purchasing six machines is RM249,000,” Fatimah added during the handover ceremony at the Sarawak Heart Centre.
She disclosed that two of the machines were located at the Sarawak Heart Centre and one machine each at the Dalat Hospital in Mukah, the Saratok Hospital in Betong, the Sarikei Hospital in Sarikei as well as the Marudi Hospital in Miri.
“So far, the Sarawak Heart Centre has 20 machines which can accommodate up to 45 patients in a day. With the two additional machines, it has the capacity to accommodate 12 more patients in a day.
“The placement of the hemodialysis machines in the respective hospitals is based on several factors including an increase in the number of kidney patients undergoing treatment, replacement of old and obsolete hemodialysis machines as well as the high capacity in utilising the machine,” she said.
Fatimah added 49 extension cases and 62 new cases were recorded this year.
She pointed out about 10 new kidney patients between the ages of 20 to 50 were recorded every day in Malaysia and the common causes were obesity, diabetes as well as age.
