Insufficient dialysis machines in Kapit Division

KAPIT: The recent meeting of Association of Kidney Patients, Kapit was told that the whole of Kapit Division has only 20 haemodialysis machines.

In briefing the meeting, Dr Francis Lee of Kapit Hospital also informed that 15 of the dialysis machines were in Kapit Hospital and five were at the Song Health Clinic. There was none at Belaga Health Clinic and Sungai Asap Health Clinic.

He said the 20 machines have a total maximum slot for only 60 kidney patients per day and each patient requires four hours to complete the haemodialysis treatment thrice a week.

Both centres at Kapit Hospital and Song Health Clinic run three shifts a day until late into the evening, he added.

He further said because of the large number of kidney patients in Kapit requiring haemodialysis, some of them had to be referred to Song Health Clinic.

“However, this has caused great inconvenience to the patients because of the two hours’ travel time from Kapit to Song and back to Kapit. Plus the four hours of dialysis, that adds up to a minimum six hours,” he pointed out.

Dr Lee also informed that they had a kidney patient in Belaga District who had to go to Kapit Hospital for haemodialysis while other patients from that district were referred to Bintulu Hospital to undergo the same treatment.

“Travelling from Belaga to Bintulu requires some three to four hours and, from Sungai Asap, about two hours,” he said.

Seeing the seriousness of the problem, the Association of Kidney Patients, Kapit has called on the Ministry of Health to step in to address the situation.

But the main problem is that Kapit Hospital does not have enough space to accommodate more dialysis machines to cope with the ever-increasing demand.

All these years, Kapit folks have been crying for a new multi- storey building to accommodate the various healthcare services but sadly, the Ministry of Health has not responded at all. Even the XRay machine is very old and requires servicing now and then.

Although the hospital is trying its very best to enhance the healthcare services, there is not even a CD scanner machine, radiologist, general surgeon, orthopaedic surgeon, eye specialist or cardiologist, at the hospital.

Patients are often forced to go to Sibu Hospital or Sarawak General Hospital on medical referral.

With the ever- increasing population brought by economic activities and progress, the people are expecting the hospital here to provide better healthcare and more services.