TELUPID: Aware that many patients live far from district hospitals, Hospital Duchess of Kent (HDOK) Sandakan surgical department, led by Dr Lai Chung Ket, decided to bring quality surgical care closer to the community at Telupid Health Clinic, recently.
The Sandakan cluster marked a significant moment as the Global Surgery outreach took place at the health clinic for the first time where Lai and his team gave public health talk, aiming to share valuable information with residents.
The team also conducted 48 day care surgical procedures, which included 28 excision biopsies, 12 circumcisions and eight hemorrhoid bandings.
Despite facing some challenges with manpower, the event went smoothly, and he thanked the generous support from Hospital Kinabatangan and Hospital Beluran, who each sent an operational team to assist.
“This outreach not only highlights the potential of the cluster concept but also reflects the dedication of the HDOK surgical team to continually improve their services,” said Dr Lai.
It hopes to extend the Global Surgery Initiative to more health clinics in the future, his team remains committed to ensuring that every patient in the Sandakan cluster – whether from urban, suburban or rural backgrounds – has access to compassionate and quality surgical care.
Together, they are striving to make a positive impact on the health and well-being of their community.
Global Surgery Initiative was launched by Ministry of Health last year to use expertise from specialist hospitals to support district hospitals in performing essential surgical procedures.
At the core of this initiative is the “cluster concept,” a resource-sharing model that brings together facilities, instruments, and human resources from both specialist and district hospitals.
Recently, this concept was extended to include public health clinics, allowing for a broader reach to patients in need.
