KUCHING: Twenty-nine out of 51 community-based rehabilitation centres (PDK) in the state have obtained high ratings.
According to Minister of Welfare, Women, and Community Wellbeing Datuk Hajah Fatimah Abdullah, the criteria that need to be fulfilled for such a rating include providing holistic services.
“The most important would be intervention and rehabilitation programmes because if these programmes are given earlier to disabled children, the success rate will be higher.
“It is also about economic empowerment, which means teaching these students skills that will enable them to be independent and can interact with others.
“That is what we meant by holistic services,” she said when officiating at the closing ceremony of Early Intervention Workshop for Children with Disabilities together with PDK Southern Zone officers at Merdeka Palace Hotel here yesterday.
Meanwhile, the minister also added that only a few PDKs have specialists or therapists and although the state government has approved nine vacant positions for it and this is not enough.
“We have formed a strategic partnership with the Health Department to help us with this, but we try to be as independent as possible and we have to find both short and long-term solutions.
“Nevertheless, we won’t let it hamper our dedication to give the best services and we need commitment from everyone, especially those working with the PDKs,” she said.
She also urged supervisors and officers to not give up easily if what they want to achieve cannot be achieved as it can take a lot of time.
“It can be demotivating for them but this is part and parcel of our work and once we have achieved what we set our sights on, it will be worth it.
“Persevere and continue to upgrade yourselves through programmes like this whereby you add more to your knowledge and skills by learning and sharing among each other,” she said.
Also present during the event was the state Welfare Department director Abang Shamsuddin Abang Seruji.
