Family planning programme benefits women in Tongod

Organisers with guests and personnel at the outreach programme in Tongod, Sabah.

A MEDICAL outreach programme focusing on family planning has distributed 30 contraceptive items to women in the Tongod district of Sabah.

The event was carried out by Sandakan Orthopaedic Society alongside the Telupid, Tongod and Entilibon public health clinics (klinik kesihatan or KK) and the advisory panel of KK Entilibon.

The programme in Kampung Entilibon included health talks by family medicine specialists Dr Woweham from KK Telupid and Dr Noreen Ooi from KK Sandakan.

Booths were set up by the physiotherapy, pharmacy and psychology departments of KK Telupid and KK Tongod where deworming, lice and scabies medication was handed out.

A colouring contest for children was also held.

Sandakan Orthopaedic Society president Dr Timothy Cheng said the distribution of the free 30 Implanon rods was carried out with support and sponsorship from women’s health company Organon Malaysia.

He said the outreach programme was the first of its kind to distribute such a large number of Implanon rods, compared to the yearly supply of three to five rods to the whole district of Tongod and some major specialist hospitals in Sabah.

This truly made a difference in the lives of women in remote areas, said Dr Cheng.

“Tongod is more than two hours’ drive from the nearest specialist hospital, Hospital Duchess of Kent in Sandakan.

“Pregnant women with sudden antenatal emergencies or ill newborns often suffer from delayed care because of this distance and lack of basic infrastructure.

“By preventing unwanted or unplanned pregnancies, one Implanon is estimated to save RM16 for every RM1 invested in it, which comes to RM200,000 through this outreach programme,” he added.

Present at the event were Tongod district officer Nelson Domil Oluk and KK Entilibon advisory panel chairman Sunsing Pitalai.