MIRI, Feb 15: Nearly 300 new kidney patients are presently registered in Miri, requiring dialysis treatment, according to Deputy Minister for Tourism, Creative Industry and Performing Arts (Tourism), Datuk Sebastian Ting Chiew Yew.
Ting emphasised the importance of public awareness, early education, and youth engagement to reduce these numbers.
He made these remarks to local media on Thursday during the State Public Information Unit (UKAS) corporate social responsibility (CSR) program at the Miri Dialysis Centre in Permyjaya, where UKAS senior officer Datu Takun@Tokun Sunggah was also present.
The program coincided with the Chinese New Year celebration and marked UKAS’s first CSR program held outside Kuching.
During the event, 14 Chinese patients from the Miri Dialysis Centre received Mandarin oranges and red packets from UKAS.
The dialysis center, the second in Miri after the one at Jalan Bulan Sabit, is a RM6 million facility operational since March last year, capable of accommodating 240 patients with 40 dialysis machines.
Currently, the center has 12 machines. — DayakDaily
