KUALA NERANG: The government’s initiative to build dialysis centres in all Felda regions will serve as a catalyst for improvements in settlers’ access to medical treatment.
According to Mat Awang Saad, the head of Felda Lubuk Merbau settlers, the hemodialysis centre would provide them with convenient access to medical care.
"We need a dialysis facility so that kidney patients in Felda settlements don't have to stay at their children’s homes in town, which are close to clinics and hospitals, only to seek treatment...some even have to rent a house so that they can easily travel back and forth to the clinic or private dialysis centre.
"We hope that the centre will help reduce costs and make it easier for Felda settlers to get dialysis treatment,” he told Bernama here.
For Osman Awang, 81, a Felda Lubuk Merbau settler, the initiative demonstrates the government’s genuine concern for the settlers’ health and well-being.
He also welcomed the government’s announcement that it would cover the cost of operating 37,012 streetlights at Felda settlements nationwide.
"We are also requesting the installation of 40 more street lights, especially from Kampung Berjaya and Kampung Kura to our village, as well as five road junctions here to improve residents’ safety,” said Osman.
Meanwhile, another settler, Anuar Rahim, 58, requested that the government address drainage issues in the Felda settlements, which, according to him, have not yet been resolved.
"This is because there are areas that will experience flooding if it rains excessively,” he explained.
On July 7, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced several initiatives and incentives to improve the quality of life and preserve the welfare of Felda settlers, including providing infrastructure, healthcare, digitalisation and housing.
Among the announcements made by Anwar was the Rahmah Health Contribution (SKR), which involves an allocation of RM21.21mil, the construction of a dialysis centre with an allocation of RM21mil, expenses for the cost of operating street lights with financial implications of RM7.7mil per year, and a diesel subsidy of RM36mil a year for three Felda settlements in Sabah.
He also announced the implementation of the Digital Madani programme to empower the gig economy, resolutions to issues with regard to the Felda New Generation Housing (PGBF) scheme and efforts to help rubber smallholders switch to other commodity crops such as palm oil and coconut. - Bernama
