Keningau Hospital to have haemodialysis centre next year

KENINGAU, Aug 10 (Bernama) -- Keningau Hospital is expected to have a RM1.7 million haemodialysis centre next year, operating on a 24-hour basis with the capacity to meet the needs of 100 patients.

Announcing this today, Sabah Health Department director Datuk Dr Christina Rundi said the centre will be housed in a brand new building measuring 3,240 sq ft and equipped with 20 haemodialysis machines, with construction beginning this year.

Speaking to reporters after the groundbreaking ceremony for the centre here today, she said the establishment of the centre represented a collaborative effort between the department and the Keningau branch of the Taiwan Buddhist Tzu-Chi Foundation Malaysia.

The foundation which is bearing the full cost of the project, had successfully raised all funding needed as a result of various fund-raising efforts including a ‘Send Love To Kidney Patients' charity run, said the foundation's branch manager Tan Beng Fun.

There are about 128 kidney patients in the state's rural areas, said Dr Christina, adding that many of them were unable to undertake health checks because of the long distances between their homes and health facilities, with many not aware that the silent disease had already reached a chronic stage.

-- BERNAMA