MP highlights urgent need to have Socso rehabilitation centres in Sabah, Sarawak
KUCHING: There is an urgent need for Social Security Organisation (Socso) Rehabilitation Centres to be established in Sarawak and Sabah, says Dr Kelvin Yii.
According to the Bandar Kuching MP, presently there is only one such centre operating in the country, which is the Tun Abdul Razak Socso Rehabilitation Centre in Ayer Keroh, Melaka.
“The second centre in Ipoh is scheduled to begin operations this year, while a third in Terengganu is still under construction,” he said in a statement yesterday.
Dr Yii, also the special advisor to the Ministry of Health, welcomed the recent call by Human Resources Minister Steven Sim for Socso to establish another three rehabilitation centres in the country, including in Sabah and Sarawak.
He pointed out that in view of no Socso Rehabilitation Centres in East Malaysia, those from Sarawak and Sabah in need of rehabilitation would have to travel all the way to Peninsular Malaysia.
“This has caused a lot of inconvenience especially for those who are dependent on family members to take care of them.
“Fact of the matter based on the land demographics and logistical difficulties faced by those in Sabah and Sarawak, there is an urgent need for such centres in both of these states to cater for their needs,” said the national DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) chief.
He said since the Tun Abdul Razak Socso Rehabilitation Centre in Melaka opened in 2014, the centre had provided services to more than 15,000 Socso contributors and noncontributors to undergo rehabilitation after being involved in an accident, or having contracted illnesses while on duty.
“It has state-of-the-art equipment and assets for rehabilitation.
“Currently, this rehabilitation centre houses the Neuro-Robotics Rehabilitation and Cybernics Centre, which utilises neurorobotic Hybrid Assistive Limb (HAL) robots from Cyberdyne Inc, Japan.
“The Cybernics Centre is the first in Malaysia and the Asean region and the biggest in the world to offer Cyberdyne HAL treatment services,” he said.
Dr Yii noted that many patients at the centre, who suffered multiple workplace injuries and illnesses such as spinal cord injury (SCI), trauma of limbs, stroke and others, were successfully treated using technology-based rehabilitation methods for complex muscular and physical dysfunctions.
“Of that number, about 70 per cent or two out of three patients managed to return to work after undergoing intensive rehabilitation treatment at the centre.
“Such facilities and technology should be expanded so that all Malaysians who need them can get access regardless of their background or even demographics.”
Dr Yii said he would work closely with the Ministry of Human Resources and Socso to ensure that the proposal would be properly implemented, while taking into account all the necessary factors for the benefit of the people in the region.