KENINGAU: The first 1Malaysia Mobile Clinic Bus Service in Sabah was launched here yesterday.
“We are fortunate that the Keningau District Health Office has been selected to run the mobile clinic bus service throughout the state,” said Deputy Chief Minister Tan Sri Joseph Pairin Kitingan in his lauching speech.
Pairin said the mobile clinic service was one of the products of 1Malaysia introduced under the National Blue Ocean Strategy (NBOS) by the Prime Minister in 2010.
According to Pairin, the service was introduced in line with the commitment of the government through the Ministry of Health to upgrade the mobile clinic service under the public health services, especially in rural areas.
“This effort has provided a clearer perspective on the seriousness of the government’s efforts in providing the best service to the people.
“It aims to improve access to health services that are more comprehensive and expanding coverage to populations who are far from the state health facilities,” he said in the speech delivered by Rural Development Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Radin Malleh yesterday.
Like the other mobile clinics in the country, it is a special customised bus to provide basic medical services to rural areas with no or limited access to medical facilities.
The mobile clinic programme is aimed at increasing health coverage to the lower income communities in rural areas as well as to reduce the rural-urban gap on accessibility to healthcare. It offers outpatient treatment;
antenatal, postnatal, immunisation and family planning; preventive health checkups, health education and advice; and follow up treatment for chronic diseases
The officiating of 1Malaysia Bus Service Mobile Clinic and district-level Kem Nak Sihat program was carried out simultaneously with the launch of the state-level Asean Dengue Day celebration.
Also present were Radin’s wife, Datin Seri Panglima Angeline Tom, State Health Department director Datuk Dr Christina Rundi and Assistant District Officer Ahmad Shah Tan Sri Mohd Sunoh.
In his speech for the Asean Dengue Day celebration which was also delivered by Radin, Pairin said 35,004 dengue cases were reported in the country from January to May 13 this year compared to 46,856 cases in the same period last year.
He said this was a decrease of 11,852 cases or 25.3 per cent, based on the statistics of the Health Ministry.
“In Sabah, 743 dengue cases were reported up to May 13 this year, a decline of 427 cases or 36.5 per cent compared with the same period last year,” he said.
Pairin said districts which recorded the highest number of dengue fever cases in the state were Kota Kinabalu with 134 cases or 18%, followed by Sandakan with 88 cases (11.8%), Lahad Datu 64 cases (8.6%), Tawau 62 cases (8.3%) and Tuaran 58 cases (7.8%).
“The government through the Ministry of Health is serious in the fight against dengue. Assistance and cooperation, especially from the local community, other government agencies, private companies and non-governmental organizations are essential to prevent dengue fever.
“Various strategies have been and are being made and one important strategy is to empower and mobilize the community through the implementation of the Communication for Behavioral Impact (COMBI),” he added.
Pairin, who is also Infrastructure Development Minister, said in the COMBI program, volunteers selected from among locals would lead prevention activities such as gotong-royong and make inspections and eliminate breeding grounds for mosquitoes inside and outside residential premises.
In addition, he said COMBI members are also encouraged to carry out innovative projects which indirectly will be an added value to the efforts undertaken in fighting mosquitos. In other words, members of COMBI are the heroes in the community who are leading efforts to combat dengue and thus creating a community free of dengue.
According to him, the Ministry of Health also encouraged active community participation in dengue prevention measures through gotong-royong programs held on a large scale throughout the country.
Therefore, he expects community leaders and local residents to take the initiative to hold gotong-royong and cleaning in their respective areas. This is because fogging only kills adult mosquitoes and larvae are not killed.
He said that the larvae will become adult mosquitoes within a week. Thus, the effects of fogging were not long term and should not be considered as a major step in the fight against dengue.
On the program, Pairin said 2017 was the seventh year of Asean Dengue Day since it was introduced in 2011.
He said that this celebration aimed to increase collaboration and concerted action among the countries in the Asean region in combating dengue in addition to strengthening community involvement in preventing the disease.
According to him, the state-level Asean Dengue Day, which is celebrated every year proves that the government through the Ministry of Health together with various parties, including the community, is committed to continue the fight against dengue, which remains a public health issue.
“Through the state-level Asean Dengue Day, the government seeks to create awareness among the public that dengue fever is still a major health problem in Malaysia, especially in Sabah.
“Despite various efforts and activities undertaken to provide information and advice to the public, it has yet to show lasting results in society,” he said.
He said that a lackadaisical attitude had caused dengue fever to remain a major and serious illness over the past few decades in the country.