PAS Sarawak suggests kidney patients to be classified as OKUs

MIRI: Parti Islam Se-Malaysia (PAS) Sarawak has suggested that kidney patients should be classified as individuals with disability (OKUs) in that they are dependent on dialysis machines to continue with their daily lives.

PAS Sarawak commissioner Jofri Jaraiee believes that with the OKU status, they can at least be qualified for the financial assistance provided under Welfare Department (JKM).

“This can alleviate their burden, especially those with no fixed income and also those from the rural areas who have to travel far from their homes just to undergo haemodialysis,” Jofri, who is also Miri PAS chief, told The Borneo Post here yesterday.

He stressed that the government must pay serious attention to the problems faced by these kidney patients, in that haemodialysis must be administered by trained medical personnel and for now, this service is only available at hospitals or dialysis centres.

Adding on, he said haemodialysis does not actually cure kidney disease; rather, it replaces the key function of kidneys, which is to cleanse the blood of toxins and other excess substances like salt.

“For many kidney patients, they are dependent on dialysis machines while waiting for transplants, which could take years.”

It is known that a regular haemodialysis session takes around four hours – usually three times a week.According to Jofri, the Malaysian Red Crescent (MRC) Miri Dialysis Centre receives an average of three new end-stage renal failure (ESRF) cases per month.

Based on the latest statistics, the centre now accommodates 318 patients, with 60 still in the waiting list. In comparison, it had only six patients after it initiated the haemodialysis service on Aug 3, 1996 – and the number grew to 137 as at Dec 31, 2006, with 20 on the waiting list.