Inner Wheel Club Miri comes full circle with two AccuVeins
MIRI: The current fund-raising project initiated by Inner Wheel Club (IWC) Miri for Accuvein Vein Visualisation System (AccuVein) – the much needed medical device in Northern Sarawak for vein scanning of kidney patients with damaged veins or fistula failure, have achieved its initial target.
IWC Miri president Trinnah Estiva said initially when they started the project in July this year, they targeted to raise money to buy at least one unit of AccuVein costing some RM19,000.
“Now we can be assured of at least two units for the Kidney Dialysis Centre at KDC Miri. I am confident that with strong public support, we can purchase two units before the end of our project in June 2017,” she told The Borneo Post on the outcome of IWC Miri annual general meeting (AGM) held on Tuesday (Dec 20).
Trinnah said Assistant Minister for Land and Air Transportation and Safety Datuk Lee Kim Shin had agreed to provide RM19,000 in government grant towards the project, during the recent Christmas Concert and AccuVein fund-raising project coordinated by Gymkhana Club.
“We thank Datuk Lee who is also KDC chairman and all who supported our project. In addition to the grant, we have now raised over RM18,000, including donations from the Miri Outpost Charity Bazaar held early this month and also over RM900 raised by our member Leong Siew Yun,” she said.
Trinnah said despite almost reaching the target, the club proposed to organize more activities for the AccuVein project, adding that all money collected, the excess will be for the maintenance fee of the two units of AccuVein.
Activities proposed are a music jam session and Bollywood Night, organised jointly with clubs in Miri.
Once the AccuVein units are made available at KDC, kidney patients in the centre and from other hospitals in Northern Sarawak needing vein scanning for damage need not go to hospitals in Kuching, Kota Kinabalu or Kuala Lumpur, as they have been doing so currently and in the past years.
Trinnah stressed among the benefits of incorporating AccuVein in the management of kidney dialysis treatment are a higher first-attempt success rate, which results in lower costs of procedures, increased staff productivity and more timely treatment/diagnosis.
Currently, 17 out the 317 patients at KDC required vein scanning and she urged those wanting to support the AccuVein project to call her at 016-862 3056.
At the AGM, Annie Tan Siew Ngin, a businesswoman was made the president-elect for the term 2017/2018 taking over from Trinnah who will be appointed as Editor for the Inner Wheel District 331 – which is made up of eight Inner Wheel clubs, namely IWC of Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Miri, Sandakan, Sibu, Singapore, Singapore East and Singapore West.
The new secretary is Cecilia Sman – taking over from Florence Enau who will take up the post of vice chairman for IW District 331. Other office bearers for IWC Miri are Joanne Bharatan (vice president), Bharathi Anang (treasurer) and committee members are Florence, Trinnah, Regina Teng, Zorah Abu Kassim and the auditor is Parveen Kaur.
As part of the AGM, they also held a pre-Christmas gathering where they had fellowship dinner, carolling and exchange of gifts.