Sabah govt deploys 100 dialysis machines under RM8.5M SMJ aid
Published on: Thursday, June 12, 2025
Published on: Thu, Jun 12, 2025 Text Size: KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah state government, through the Ministry of Community Development and People's Wellbeing (KPMKR), has supplied 100 additional hemodialysis machines to government hospitals and clinics across the state under the Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) 'Sabah Sejahtera' Health Assistance Scheme. The symbolic handover was officiated today by State Health Exco and KPMKR Minister Datuk James Ratib at Queen Elizabeth Hospital II today.
Advertisement The RM8.5 million allocation under the scheme covers RM4 million for treatment subsidies and RM4.5 million for equipment procurement, aimed at easing the burden of end-stage renal failure (ESRF) patients, especially from low-income groups. James highlighted that the number of ESRF patients in government facilities has increased from 1,831 in 2020 to 2,133 in 2024, necessitating expanded dialysis services. Currently, Sabah has 474 hemodialysis machines, but only 435 are functional, while 39 units are damaged. The new machines will help address this gap, improve service quality, and replace outdated equipment. In addition, patients undergoing dialysis at government facilities are exempt from the RM13 fee, while those on home dialysis (CAPD) receive a RM100 monthly subsidy. There are 25 government facilities (23 hospitals, 2 clinics) offering dialysis services in Sabah, with 5 specialist hospitals also providing Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD). The new machines are equipped with modern filtration technology, touchscreen interfaces, digital monitoring, energy-efficient systems, and come with at least one year of warranty and maintenance service. James reaffirmed the state's commitment to providing accessible and quality healthcare in line with the aspirations of Malaysia Prihatin and Sabah Maju Jaya. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available.
Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Daily Express
3 hours ago
- Daily Express
Education Ministry to ramp up sex ed in schools by 2027 to curb harassment, online predators
Published on: Friday, June 13, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jun 13, 2025 Text Size: Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the module, which was launched in November last year, among other things, aims to increase reproductive health awareness among the community, especially students, teachers and parents. — Bernama pic Kuala Lumpur: The teaching time for the Reproductive and Social Health Education Guidelines (PEERS) module will be increased in the implementation of the 2027 School Curriculum. Education Minister Fadhlina Sidek said the module, which was launched in November last year, among other things, aims to increase reproductive health awareness among the community, especially students, teachers and parents. Advertisement 'The existence of social media pages that display pornographic and immoral content needs to be curbed,' she said. At the same time, she also urged parents to play a proactive role at home by educating and protecting children from the threat of sexual harassment. 'They are also responsible in ensuring that the dignity of children is preserved,' she said. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
Daily Express
12 hours ago
- Daily Express
New building planned for Queen Elizabeth Hospital
Published on: Friday, June 13, 2025 Published on: Fri, Jun 13, 2025 By: Sherell Jeffrey Text Size: Masidi, Dr Kahar, Li Ling, Dr William and Dexter looking at photos on display at the history gallery. Kota Kinabalu: Plans are in the pipeline for a new clinical building at QEH to address the growing healthcare demands in the State. 'This new clinical building will increase service capacity and add more beds to reduce congestion and expedite patient treatment access,' said State Health Director Dr Maria Suleiman. Advertisement She was represented by Deputy (Medicine) Datuk Dr Abd Kahar Abd Asis. The expansion is in response to frequent feedback about lengthy waiting times in the emergency department due to insufficient bed capacity. 'Sometimes patients seeking help have to wait long in emergency because of inadequate beds. We truly want to help but are constrained by the insufficient number of beds,' she said. The new building project, which has received preliminary approval from the Ministry of Health, is currently in the early planning phase. She praised Queen Elizabeth Hospital's achievements, noting its status as one of the excellent hospitals nationally when compared to several hospitals in the region. 'This is not only a source of national pride but also pride for us in Sabah,' she said. The hospital, which serves as the State's main referral centre with national standards, continues to face daily challenges despite its staff's dedication. 'The commitment shown by the staff brings many blessings, and today we receive contributions,' she said. Dr Maria expressed gratitude to the Commonwealth Association of Leadership Malaysia (CALM) for the signboard-cum- historical gallery initiative and to the State Ministry of Finance for their financial support in realising this. Acknowledging the importance of public-private partnerships, Dr Maria called for more organisations to step forward through corporate social responsibility initiatives. 'The success of our healthcare system does not depend solely on government strength but also on inclusive cooperation networks with the private sector, non-governmental organisations and the community. 'Every contribution given is not just filling needs but sowing hope and building meaning. Our doors are always open and our hands are always ready to welcome acts of kindness at any time from anyone,' she said. Meanwhile, Dr Kahar pointed to the need for strong political will and leadership to ensure the project, already included in the Malaysia Plan (RMK) list, moves forward smoothly. He said the expansion plans will be coupled with a multi-storey car parking project to resolve the hospital's chronic parking shortage. * Follow us on our official WhatsApp channel and Telegram for breaking news alerts and key updates! * Do you have access to the Daily Express e-paper and online exclusive news? Check out subscription plans available. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express's Telegram channel. Daily Express Malaysia
New Straits Times
21 hours ago
- New Straits Times
Dzulkefly: Govt may exempt Sabah, Sarawak doctors from rural allowance freeze
KOTA KINABALU: The Health Ministry will consider exempting medical doctors in Sabah and Sarawak from the freeze on rural allowances. Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, said the issue would be raised at the upcoming cabinet meeting. The freeze was implemented following the tabling of Budget 2025 as part of the Finance Ministry's fiscal consolidation strategy. "This issue was raised during my visit here, and we have taken it very seriously. "We will table the matter at the Cabinet meeting and examine it thoroughly," he said during the handover of 100 haemodialysis machines from the Sabah government to the Health Ministry at Queen Elizabeth Hospital II today. He was responding to concerns raised by Sabah Community Development and People's Wellbeing Minister Datuk James Ratib yesterday. James had warned that the freeze could discourage contract doctors from renewing their service in remote parts of Sabah, especially given the lack of basic infrastructure in rural areas compared to urban centres. There are currently about 4,000 government doctors serving in the state. Earlier, Dr Dzulkefly said the haemodialysis machines were urgently needed to boost treatment capacity in public health facilities across Sabah. The number of end-stage renal failure patients seeking treatment at government facilities in the state has increased from 1,831 in 2020 to 2,133 in 2024. At present, Sabah has 474 haemodialysis machines; of these, only 435 are operational, while 39 are damaged. The Sabah government has allocated RM8.5 million, including RM4.5 million for the procurement of the machines. Patients will be exempted from the RM13 fee for using the machines, while those undergoing home-based treatment via the Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) method will receive a RM100 subsidy from the state government.
