MIRI: Without an operation, 61-year-old Kuyu Sit Chengam from Long Kerong in Ulu Tinjar, Baram may not be able to see anymore.
Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau (third right) and Kuyu (seating) listening to the diagnosis made by an eye specialist.
The timber camp worker had lost the sight of his left eye as he didn’t go for early treatment and continued processing sawn logs at a camp – depending on his right eye to see. Recently, he started having difficulty seeing with his right eye.
His vision has become blurred and hazy.
“Everything I see is just like shadows. I can’t identify the person or object even if they are standing right in front of me. I have to be guided and cling to someone like my children including groping
walls to move around,” said Kuyu.
Kuyu was among five cases referred to Miri Hospital for further treatment during the Community Health Carnival hosted by Samling Group of Companies and Yaw Teck Seng Foundation under their Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) in collaboration with Miri Hospital and Divisional Health Department and the Armed Forces.
“Because of logistics, it is costly for me to travel to Miri or Marudi, I didn’t go for treatment for my right eye, making me unable to see,” he said when met during the carnival.
When he knew about the carnival at Samling Base Camp, he asked his son to bring him for the
health screening.
“I appreciate and thank Samling Miri Hospital and the army for organising this programme which enabled us to have free health screening and treatment. Without them it would be difficult and costly for us to go for health screening and treatment,” he said.
A total of 1,063 patients registered for the health screening, with a total of 3,996 health services rendered.
Meanwhile, Miri Hospital director Dr Jack Wong disclosed that eye and hearing problems including dental are still the major ailments among the people in the interior of Baram.
“Too much exposure to direct sunlight and dim light at night and loud noise produced by the chainsaw and machinery in the camp affected their sight and hearing. Some of the accidents in logging camps were likely caused by vision and hearing impairment,” said Dr Wong.
As such, he urged logging companies to organise seminars or workshops to protect the hearing and sight of their workers.