Six more rural dental clinics to be set up, says CM
KUCHING: Asajaya, Kabong, Pusa, Jepak, Sungai Asap and Brang Bayur will be provided with dental clinic under the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) to make it easier for the rural people to access oral healthcare.
Chief Minister Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg said it was the state government’s responsibility to provide dental healthcare to the people who did not have the means to go to private dental clinics.
“This country has come a long way from the early days of dentistry to specialised oral healthcare of today. Thus, the state Health Department will set up another six dental clinics in rural Sarawak,” he said when addressing the 8th Borneo Dental Congress and Trade Exhibition cum 9th Malaysian Dental Association Eastern Zone (MDAEZ) annual general meeting here yesterday.
He said Sarawak presently had 36 government dental clinics providing primary oral healthcare to the general public.
“The percentage of dental clinics providing outpatient services on daily basis has increased from 19 per cent in 2011 to 100 per cent last year.
“Improving the quality of life through better oral health can be realised if everyone works together to raise the standards of care.
“The state Health Department has made tremendous efforts to improve the quality of life of the people through constant improvement of oral healthcare delivery, and other developments in healthcare,” he said.
New dental clinics have been set up in Sarawak in 2016; Petra Jaya Dental Clinic and dental clinics at Urban Transformation Centre (UTC) in Kuching, Sibu and Miri.
“The dental clinic in Bau, which was approved during the 10MP, has been operating since 2016. It serves a population of more than 54,000 people. Another one at Sibu Jaya in Sibu, was set up the same year.
“The other one at RTC in Bekenu has been operating since 2014, serving a population of over 10,000. The RTC in midLayar, Betong, has also been operational since 2016, serving a population of 7,900,” he added.
For other districts without dental clinics, Abang Johari said they were visited by the department’s outreach programmes which had been growing in number, frequency and the duration of each visit.
“We are also actively involved in various National Blue Ocean Strategies (NBOS) especially NBOS 6 and 7 in providing services to the people and reaching out to those previously unreachable,” he added.
Outreach programme to serve the Penan community, he said, was meant to improve their oral health status by increasing their access to oral health care.
“We have been providing oral healthcare to this community in four divisions namely Miri, Bintulu, Limbang and Kapit despite the difficulty and challenges in accessing some of the areas in the interior.
“In 2016, the outreach programme had reached out to 2,500 patients, about half of them Penans while in the following year about one third were Penans out of the about 4,000 patients who came.”
As the population of Kuching and Sarawak continues to grow, Abang Johari said there is the need to improve the infrastructure including public transportation so that the people would be able to move more freely and be able to access services including dental health care.
“That is why the government is planning to build light rail transit (LRT) to connect Kuching, Samarahan and Serian,” he said.
State Health director Dr Jamilah Hashim, deputy health director (oral health) Dr Yaw Siew Lian, Malaysian Dental Association president Dr Ng Woan Tyng as well as its eastern zone chairman and organising chairman Dr Sim Wen Sann were among those present.
This country has come a long way from the early days of dentistry to specialised oral healthcare of today. Thus, the state Health Department will set up another six dental clinics in rural Sarawak. — Datuk Patinggi Abang Johari Tun Openg, Chief Minister