SABAH CANCER CENTRE IS OPERATIONAL IN STAGES

OPEN.....Sabah Women and Children Hospital's Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medical Centre Likas.

By : FIZAH YUSOF

A SOPHISTICATED Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medical Centre has started to be operational at the Sabah Women and Children Hospital in Likas , said Dr Christina Rundi the Sabah Health Director at the handing over of the Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medical Centre by Sabah Public Works Department, today.

Dr. Christina said that with the completion of the centre costing about RM223 million next to the Women and Children's Hospital (Likas Hospital), cancer patients in Sabah will no longer have to go to Kuala Lumpur for treatment.

"I am very happy that Sabahans will now be able to be treated closer to home. Hitherto we have treated our cancer patients in Queen Elizabeth Hospital, and we have sent them to Kuala Lumpur and private hospitals. So I hope with the setting up of this centre we can expect some positive outcomes," she said.

The centre is a regional centre that will take  patients from Sarawak as well.

She also disclosed that before the setting up of the centre, the hospital authorities  have sent the hospital personnel involved in nuclear and anthologist duties to be trained in preparation for thesetting up of the centre. Dr. Christina said the cancer hospital has already started some of it's services but will proceed in stages.

"This is because some of the equipment are still not available yet, but we are in the process of acquiring the special high tech equipment and will be fully operational when we have all the equipment in place," she said.

Datuk Farida Mohd Ali, Chief Secretary Ministry of Health Malaysia who was there to witness the handing over of the Radiotherapy and Nuclear Medical Centre urged the hospital staff and personnel to maintain a high standard of care for the patients.

“I hope the cancer centre in Sabah will provide its best service to the people and to provide the convenience for patients," she said.

Some of the services that are available in the centre are Linac services for radiotherapy treatment for patients with cancer. The nuclear medicine centre will have a positron emission tomography scanner (Petscan) which will allow doctors to treat cancers, diseases of the heart, muscles and brain such as Alzheimer’s more accurately, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, computed tomography (CT) scanner and gamma cameras that are used to scan organs such as the heart and kidneys to help doctors in their diagnosis.

Radiotheraphy iodine treatment for thyroid cancer will be made available soon. (Insight Sabah)