Foundation donates cardiac equipment to Sarawak Heart Centre
KUCHING: Sarawak Heart Foundation yesterday presented six units of cardiac equipment to Sarawak Heart Centre to boost its service.
The equipment consists of five units of Cardiac Mobile Monitoring System costing RM150,000 and an Ultrasound System for Adult Echocardiography worth RM135,000.
The foundation chairperson Datuk Amar Jamilah Anu said money for the purchase of the Cardiac Mobile Monitoring System was raised from the Heart Run 2017 on Sept 24.
The run was a collaboration between the foundation and Physiotherapy Department of Sarawak Heart Centre.
“We will continue to work closely with Sarawak Heart Centre in upgrading its facilities and equipment to provide the best cardiac service care for the people in the state, especially those who cannot afford the high medical expenses,” she said.
Director of Sarawak Heart Centre Dr Mohd Asri Riffin was amog those present at the function.
Jamilah, who is also Tanjong Datu assemblywoman, said the Cardiac Mobile Monitoring System is used to monitor patients with moderate-to-high risk of cardiac arrest during exercise sessions.
It can detect early ECG abnormality, and thus prevent life-threatening arrhythmias.
In the event that a patient has a cardiac arrest during an exercise session, the system can detect and trigger an alarm for the medical staff to take action. It can monitor the patient’s irregular heart rhythm from moderate to high risk for up to 12 patients in one exercise session.
The ultrasound system that makes scanning and quality ultrasound images simple and fast, came from proceeds of the foundation’s fund-raising event last year.
“We hope the equipment will improve the services and performance of Sarawak Heart Centre that will, in turn, benefit the patients,”Jamilah said.
Describing the centre as the foundation’s faithful partner, Jamilah thanked the doctors and nurses for their services at the foundation’s free health screening events.
She also contributed RM5,000 to the Malaysian Nurses Association Sarawak branch for their expenses.
The foundation also hosted a thanksgiving gathering for all the staff after the handing- over of the cardiac equipment.
The foundation is a non-profit organisation that depends on the support and generosity of the public for funds to help needy heart patients in Sarawak and to educate the public on heart disease and prevention.
Its activities include free health screening, public health exhibitions and health talks throughout Sarawak to increase public awareness on the dangers and tell-tale signs of heart diseases and the importance of healthy and active lifestyles to avoid heart disease.
Apart from raising funds for the upgrading of the equipment and facilities at Sarawak Heart Centre, the foundation also provides grants and sponsorships to hospitals, institutions of higher learning and professionals in the medical field to enable them to carry out research on heart-related diseases.