YEE ON SABAH MEDICAL WOES TASK

By : DAP MEDIA

DAP Sabah wants to congratulate DCM Datuk Yee Moh Chai for his recent announcement that Malaysia has become one of the popular nations to seek medical treatments. It is indeed a good job well done for Malaysia medical tourism.

Junz Wong, DAP Sabah state assistant secretary, however, would like to request DCM Yee to look into our very own Sabahan medical woes.

Sabahan patients are treated without adequate medical infrastructures and equipments. Junz reminded both the Ministry of Health and Sabah state government, that he has published two articles regarding Sabahan medical woes especially cancer patients but there was no response from the relevant authority.

“There is only one radiotherapy machine for the whole Sabah for so many years now, definitely it cannot cope with the load. Secondly, where is the back up? Government expects machines in KL or Kuching to be Sabahan back up?,” Junz asked.

SMC only has one CT scan, as we all know it is for diagnosis purposes for many other diseases than just cancer, which is shared with diagnostic departments and radiotherapy department.

According to Junz, since 2010, Radiotherapy machine has been breaking down way too often for at least 3-4 times a year. Reason is simple, because it has overworked. If we were in Hong Kong, such machine only treated up to 30 patients a day. However, in Sabah our ONLY radiotherapy machine will have to work for averagely 70 patients a day.

Recently, Junz has received yet another complaint that CT scan machine has broken down for 2 months now. Radiotherapy and CT scan machines have to work together to treat cancer patients, one just would not do the job.

"Just checked at the recent record how many Sabahan patients have been sent out to seek for treatments will give you a clearer picture," Junz said.

Because of the inconvenience caused by the faulty machines, many treatments are delayed partly also due to the paper procedures and approval process.

"We need to understand that many patients cannot afford to travel to KL, they are already physically in very weak conditions mainly due to chemotherapy treatment and operations," Junz explained.

This is inhuman and cruel to make them travel, at many occasions, alone to KL because their children have to work.

Junz Wong who is also KK parliamentary liaison Youth Chief, urge YB Yee to look into this matter seriously and immediate attention and action are needed because time is essence for many patients especially cancer patients.

“All We Sabahan want a new Radiotherapy machine and CT scan machine”, Junz concluded.