KOTA KINABALU: The State Government has allocated RM8.52 million for 100 hemodialysis machines and free treatment for end-stage renal failure patients through the SMJ Sabah Sejahtera health assistance scheme.
Sabah Community Development and People's Wellbeing Minister Datuk James Ratib said the move is only a short-term solution to ease the burdens of patients and healthcare providers, which aligns with the SMJ aspiration.
"The government understands and is concerned about the physical and financial affliction of those who undergo treatment.
"Therefore, the first phase of the scheme focuses on 1,358 patients being treated in clinics and hospitals and 797 others undergoing home treatment (Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis)," he told a press conference here on Thursday.
He said the government has started to shoulder the RM119 per treatment fee, which is burdensome as patients undergo dialysis thrice weekly while the machines make their way across the state in batches.
