KUCHING: Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii said that he welcomed the implementation of PekaB40 by the Ministry of Health (MoH) which will benefit a total of 3.94 million people nationwide.
In a press statement issued recently, Yii said that the scheme, which emphasises on early detection of non-communicable diseases (NCDs), is fully sponsored by the government and is free to all eligible recipients aged 50 and above.
Recipients of the Bantuan Sara Hidup (BSH) will automatically be part of the scheme and no registration is needed.
“In response to my question in Parliament, the Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said that the total of BSH recipients above 50 years old in Sarawak currently stand at 416,582 people.
“For this first phase of the scheme, RM100 million will be allocated nationwide. As of April 9, a total of 84,537 Sarawakians will benefit from the PekaB40 scheme.
“This scheme is transformational in addressing the increasing rate of NCDs in our country and hopefully through proper prevention and early treatment, such occurrence can be reduced as we build a stronger and healthier society. This is in line with the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommendations to treat NCDs which emphasise the need of ‘Prevention’,” he added.
Under this scheme, recipient can benefit from four different health packages. The first is health screening where patients can undergo blood test, diagnosis test, cholesterol test, urine test, and kidney
functions test.
They will also be checked for mental health, breast cancer and prostate cancer, if needed. Subsequent check-ups and follow up treatments will be referred to government clinics, if they are diagnosed with any disease.
While for recipients who do not have any health problems and complications based on the screening, they will be referred to the “Sihat Cergas” programme, a wellness programme under the ministry to create a healthy nation.
The second package is for medical equipment aid, where a maximum of RM20,000 is allocated for patients seeking treatment at government hospitals only. Among the equipment given by the ministry are stent for heart diseases, artificial joints, hearing aid, intraocular lens, wheelchairs and oxygen concentrator.
The third package is for cancer treatment where recipients will be given RM1,000 in phases, based on the stage of treatment, if they complete their treatments at government facilities.
The fourth package is to help recipients with their transportation cost. They are provided with transport incentives up to RM1,000 for Sabah and Sarawak yearly compared to RM500 in Semenanjung Malaysia, for every disease they are diagnosed with. Many in rural areas did not continue treatment due to financial constraints and they could not afford transportation cost.
Dr Yii said he encouraged all Sarawakians who are BSH recipients this year to check their eligibility for the first phase online through the website https://kelayakan.pekab40.com.my/semakan-kelayakan or they can seek assistance from his office.
They can also check on all the listed private clinics in the area that provide the scheme online at
https://bms.pekab40.com.my/provider/index.
