RM 30 million set aside to help low income group undergo haemodialysis treatment, procurement of dialysis machines
Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah
KUCHING: The Sarawak government has allocated over RM30 million from next year until 2024 to assist patients suffering from kidney failure.
To qualify for the assistance, applicants have to be Sarawakians with a ‘K’ status on their MyKad and belong to B40 or M40 groups with a maximum monthly income of RM1,020.
Civil servants, pensioners, and Social Security Organisation contributors do not qualify for the assistance.
Under clinical assistance, there will be a one-off maximum aid of RM3,000 each for patients receiving Arteriovenous Fistula (AVF) treatment; maximum RM240 per month for those receiving Erythropoietin (EPO); maximum RM200 per session for patients undergoing haemodialysis treatment or RM2,400 a month; and a maximum of RM2,800 per month for Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) treatment.
The allocation includes the procurement of new dialysis machines, emolument for contract staff, and treatment, which would be limited to 100 new patients annually.
Minister of Welfare, Community Well Being, Women, Family and Childhood Development Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah said the Welfare Department has been tasked as the implementing agency for the special assistance.
“During a workshop organised recently, we have discussed how can we help, so that dialysis treatments can be further improved compared with the existing situation and assist people suffering from kidney failure,” she told a press conference yesterday.
Fatimah said the ministry is also considering contributing an additional 30 haemodialysis machines in governmental hospitals over a period of five years.
“According to the survey carried out in government hospitals, we want to improve in terms of capacity and the capability of improving haemodialysis at government hospitals,” she said, adding the Sarawak government would obtain permission from the federal Ministry of Health to donate the dialysis machines – each costing RM40,000 – to comply with existing procedures.
“We want to see how we can help actually to improve in terms of the availability of haemodialysis treatments in government hospitals in Sarawak.”
There will also be transportation aid of RM50 for each treatment session, with priority going to patients from rural areas, as well as RM5,000 aid to cover transport and accommodation expenses for family members of those undergoing kidney operations in Kuala Lumpur, which would be credited directly to service providers.
Sarawak General Hospital consultant nephrologist Dr Clare Tan Hui Hong said Malaysia has recorded an increase in patients with end-stage kidney failure.
“In Sarawak, we also see a similar increase in the number of patients in this end-stage kidney failure. About 10 years ago, we have about 1,000 patients on this renal replacement therapy and as of end of 2018, we have more than 3,000 patients on this dialysis therapy,” she said.
Dr Tan said on average Sarawak sees a net increase of about 250 new kidney failure patients every year.
Dialysis stood at 177 treatments per million population (PMP) compared with the national average of 248 PMP.
There are 25 haemodialysis centres in government hospitals throughout Sarawak, while another nine centres are operated by non-governmental organisations (NGOs) and 11 centres are operated by the private sector.
Currently, there are some 300 dialysis machines in government hospitals across Sarawak, with over 100 machines already in service for more than eight years.
“The cost of dialysis treatment in government hospitals is about RM13 per session. If patients cannot afford, they can see the social workers and they can get the fee reduced,” said Dr Tan.
For haemodialysis centres operated NGOs, Dr Tan said the cost can be between RM90 and RM130 per treatment, while the fee at private centres is between RM200 and RM300 per treatment.
Patients undergoing haemodialysis require three sessions per week, with each lasting for about four hours.
Dr Tan urged the public to practise a healthy lifestyle and monitor their food intake, as two thirds of kidney failure cases are due to diabetes, while the rest are mostly caused by hypertension.
“If we look at the patients on dialysis, in terms of dialysis population, it reflects an ageing population, but the major factor is still lifestyle,” she said.