Kota Kinabalu: Ten children with heart ailments from rural areas in Sabah will be given virtually free heart surgeries by the Penang Adventist Hospital (PAH) before the end of this year.Chief Financial Officer Michael Wong told Sabah Heart Fund (SOSHF) President Datuk Christine Tibok-Vanhouten at a press conference at 1Borneo on Friday they could also accommodate another five patients requested by the Society.
The event, he said, marked the beginning of a meaningful partnership with SOSHF and Adventist Laymen's Services and Industries (ASI) to provide free heart surgeries for deserving patients, especially from poor families.
Ever since the Heart Patients' Fund (HPF) was established in June 1988, some RM6.3 million have been disbursed to "mend" 534 hearts.
"These include children from around Southeast Asia under the Gift of Life International Programme mainly in Cambodia, the Philippines and Indonesia," he said.
He said PAH was able to provide free heart surgeries to deserving cases through public donations, fund raising activities such as concerts and also from its collection.
Since Adventists mark the Sabbath (off) on Saturday, he said the payment they receive on Saturday from patients seeking treatment from the hospital would go towards the fund.
He said the hospital, the oldest Western-founded establishment in the country, would first carry out a background check on the patient and medical report.
In conjunction with the HPF's 20th Anniversary last year, PAH offered 50 free heart surgeries to the Malaysian Government and 45, mostly children, have had their hearts treated.
"Even though we give free heart surgeries to the patients, some came back to donate to the fund to show their appreciation," he said.
Of the 45 patients, he said 13 partially contributed to the cost of their surgeries by donating a total of RM32,000.
"A six-year-old patient named Amrina came to donate from her own savings of RM100 and another baked a cake to show her appreciation," he said.
While the hospital does not expect patients to "repay" the gesture, they do encourage them to help in any way they could so that others in a similar predicament could be assisted.
To a question, Wong said the PAH had previously been requested to set up a cardiac centre in Sabah and could look into it.
Christine, on the other hand, said the SOSHF would pay the bus fare for the heart patients from their village to KK and also the air fare to Penang.
"We would be providing the escort, in this case the parent, some pocket money that will last them until the heart surgery has been successfully completed," she said.
Once the patient arrives at Penang airport, the PAH will bear the cost of transportation as well as the lodging and meal expenses.
ASI Sabah President, Dr Saiman Sandah, said ASI would be taking care of the food expenses for the escort and families of the patient while in Penang.
Christine said almost all the patients had never taken a plane before and that it could be a traumatic experience for the parent and patient as well as the family members.
In this respect, she again urged the Federal Government to expedite its plan to set up a cardiac centre in Sabah. "The PAH should also pursue setting up a cardiac centre here," she said.
Sabah is the only State without a cardiac facility despite having achieved independence 46 years ago. The SOSHF, she said, sent 16 heart patients for heart surgeries in Korea in 2007 and 23 patients the following year.
This year, it initially wanted to send 17 patients but it was put on hold due to the Influenza A (H1N1) virus.
The PAH started as a clinic by Dr J. Earl Gardner in 1924 who came to Penang with his wife, Ethelm with a mission to provide medical care to all, including those who could not afford it. On his clinic were the words, "Poor Treated Free". With the support of philanthropists, the clinic grew into what exists today - Penang Adventist Hospital.
Meanwhile, the Sabah SDA Mission is currently celebrating its centennial in Sabah (1909-2009). Also present was Vice President of SOSHF, Datuk William J. Chai, honorary secretary, Eva Susau, ASI Southern Asia-Pacific Division President, David Tan, ASI Southern Asia-Pacific Division vice president, Patrick Choo, ASI Sabah vice-president, Tan Kok, PAH Development Manager Nancy Ong and SDA Mission Communication Director, Pastor Konis Gabu.
