KUCHING, June 21: The Sarawak government has approved 32 new applications for ‘Bantuan Khas Pesakit Buah Pinggang’ (BKPBP) amounting to an expenditure of RM522,988, as of April 19.
The BKPBP is a special aid for kidney patients provided by the State through the Ministry of Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, to alleviate the financial burden of kidney patients in Sarawak as they undergo treatment.
According to Sarawak Minister for Women, Childhood and Community Wellbeing Development, Dato Sri Fatimah Abdullah, the 32 applications were from Miri with 12, followed by Sri Aman (7), Kuching (3), Betong (2), Mukah (2), Bintulu (2) and one patient each in Samarahan, Serian, Sibu and Limbang.
“At government hospitals or government health clinics, (haemodialysis) service (for kidney patients) is free.
“But when patients can’t get the treatment in government hospitals and health clinics, they have to do it in private centers, which is quite expensive,” she said in a statement yesterday (June 20) after paying a visit to the Haemodialysis Unit under Nephrology Department at Sarawak General Hospital (SGH).
Fatimah also mentioned that from the extension of the BKPBP assistance for the year 2020 and 2021, there are a total of 98 recipients who have benefited from the assistance involving an expenditure of RM 2,191,436.
The BKPBP aid covers clinical assistance, including one-off installation of Arteriovenous Fistula (AVF) at a maximum of RM3,000 per patient, and Erythropoietin (EPO) injection at a maximum of RM240 per patient.
It also includes haemodialysis treatment at a maximum of RM200 per patient for every treatment session or RM2,400 per month, and Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) at a maximum of RM2,800 a month if there is no slot for haemodialysis treatment.
The aid also covers supplementary assistance, namely 30 new haemodialysis machines to replace old ones, including adding six new machines for Sarawak Heart Centre, transportation allowance of RM50 for each treatment session with priority for rural patients as well as one-off allowance of RM5,000 for the cost of accommodation and transportation for patients undergoing kidney transplant at Kuala Lumpur Hospital. — DayakDaily
