Only Sabah without a cancer machine
Published on: Thursday, March 07, 2024
By: Clarence Dol
James (third from left) accompanying Tun Juhar to receive a memento presented by Dr. Asits (left)
LAHAD DATU: Sabah Community Development and People’s Well-being Minister (KPMKR) Datuk James Ratib called on the Health Ministry to supply early cancer detection machines to the State, as it has been left out.
“Sabah needs a Positron Emission Tomography-Computed Tomography Scan (CT-PET SCAN) machine which can detect cancer earlier.
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“Sarawak has two machines and in Penang there are about four. In the peninsula there are many CT-PET SCAN machines. Only Sabah has no such machine yet,” he said.
He said this is despite Sabah having many cancer patients. “I urge the Ministry to supply one or two CT-PET SCAN machines for the people of Sabah,” he said, at the Inauguration and Handover of Dialysis Assets (Petronas) Dialysis Unit for Tungku Health Clinic, Tuesday.
Tungku Health Clinic received four Dialysis Unit machines, two of which were donated by the Petronas Foundation and the other two by the Sabah General Welfare Services Department.
“The Petronas Foundation has donated 10 dialysis machines, three Reverse Osmosis machines, a reprocessor machine and a medical fridge. This not only revamps the landscape of dialysis treatment but also gives new hope to patients and their families,” he said.
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Tungku Health Clinic also received two dialysis machines from other agencies such as the Sabah Welfare Foundation.
“Two dialysis machines, a Reverse Osmosis machine and a reprocessor machine have been received by the Hemodialysis Unit, Tungku Health Clinic to start dialysis services.
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“Six dialysis machines and a medical fridge have been donated to Tenom Hospital. Beaufort Hospital has received two dialysis machines and a Reverse Osmosis machine,” he said.
James added that Lahad Datu Hospital has received a new reverse osmosis machine to ensure that the dialysis service can run more effectively.
“For Lahad Datu, dialysis treatment can be got at the Lahad Datu Hospital in addition to treatment services by the private sector. I understand that there are 21 end stage kidney patients who require dialysis treatment in Tungku.
“Aware that Tungku Health Clinic is within 70km and takes one hour and 15 minutes to travel from the city centre, I sympathise with the hardships and sacrifices that ESRF patients have to face,” he said.
State Health Director Datuk Dr. Asit Sanna, said the Tungku Clinic was constructed in 1998.
The clinic opened its doors on Nov. 1, 2001, and serves the population of Tungku, which includes 23 villages and 27 plantations.
“So far, no private entity has offered dialysis treatment services in Lahad Datu. As a result, patients from the clinic area must travel to Lahad Datu Hospital three times a week for dialysis treatment,” he said.
The Tungku Health Clinic’s Haemodialysis Unit was constructed in 2022, and with pre-emptive actions from the Department of General Welfare Services, Yayasan Petronas, and Yayasan Kebajikan Sabah, it began operations on February 19, 2024.
The Haemodialysis Unit can accommodate a maximum of 32 patients. The most recent data show that Tungku has 21 ESRF patients.
“So far, four patients have undergone dialysis treatment at Tungku Clinic.
“The number of patients receiving dialysis treatments at this clinic will gradually increase. God willing, all ESRF patients in this district will begin dialysis treatment by the end of the year,” he said.
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