KOTA KINABALU: Carnivals and programme could be used to clear patients waiting list, said the director of Sabah Health Department, Dr. Christina Rundi.
“Carnivals, such as this, could help patients speed up the treatment process as there will be experts and specialists from outside of Sabah present, who could assist in treating patients,” she said when officiating at the closing ceremony of Cleft Carnival held at the Radiotherapy and Nuclear building of the Sabah Women and Children Hospital in Likas yesterday.
During the Cleft Carnival, a total of eleven patients with cleft condition were treated by plastic surgeons from Sabah, Kuching and Sungai Buloh.
According to Christina, these patients have been on the waiting list for one to three months. The reason for the long waiting period is the lack of expertise in Sabah as well as the distance of the patients from the hospitals here.
“In Sabah, there are only three plastic surgeons who could perform operation for cleft patients, one in Hospital Likas, one in Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 and one in a private medical centre. With only three experts in the State, the patients had to be put on a waiting list,” she explained.
Cleft is a split or separation in the structure of lip or the roof of the mouth.
According to a study by the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department, Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1, a total of 170 new cases of cleft patients were recorded from January 2011 until December 2012 in Sabah. On average, one out of 600 to 700 people in the country suffer from cleft condition every year.
Christina said, the carnival, with the help of two other specialists from Kuching and Sungai Buloh, in line with the Blue Ocean Strategy, gathers expertise from different places in treating the eleven patients.
Treatment of all eleven patients during the carnival was fully funded by the Cleft Lip and Palate Association of Malaysia (CLAPAM).
At a private medical centre, one case of cleft condition surgery would cost RM8,000 to RM10,000. For Government hospitals, one case of cleft condition surgery would cost RM50 for one operation.
According to the president of CLAPAM, Zainal Azhar Ahmad, one patient suffering from cleft condition would need to go through a series of surgery, and not just one.
“Many people, especially those from the rural areas could not afford the cost of the surgery as well as the transportation cost. We hope that through this carnival, patients and their families’ burden could be reduced,” he added.
CLAPAM together with Sabah Women and Children Hospital Likas and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 here organized the first ever Cleft Carnival which aims to treat patients suffering from cleft condition, and to give awareness, knowledge and tips to the parents to the patients during forums held throughout the carnival which started on June 8 until yesterday.
Dr. Christina, who was very happy with the result of the carnival, said that it should be held more frequently and throughout the State at different districts.
“This type of carnival should be held throughout the State, to reach people from different districts of Sabah, especially the in rural areas,” she said.
She also said that the carnival had successfully brought together staff of the hospital from different departments, as treating cleft patients involve doctors and personnel from different departments and wards of the hospital.
Meanwhile, plastic surgeon of Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1, Dr. Sergius Ajik, said that Sabah is one of the states in the country that has a ‘cleft clinic’ which is conducted once in every month.
The ‘cleft clinic’ brings together different personnel and doctors of different expertise to discuss on issues involving problems faced and treatments of the cleft patients.
According to Zainal, CLAPAM is planning to have a support group in Sabah, with the aim of giving emotional support to parents of the cleft patients.
The support group would also share tips and knowledge on how to take care of patients with cleft condition.
“We understand the importance of the support group as a lot of parents need information on how to take care of the patients, as well as emotional and mental support. The support group will be set up in Sabah in the nearest time possible,” Zainal promised.
Also present during the ceremony were the Director of Sabah Women and Children Hospital Likas, Dr. Tan Bee Hwai, and organizing chairman of the Cleft Carnival, Dr. K. J. Leong.