KOTA KINABALU: The Sabah government will cover the cost of haemodialysis treatment for kidney patients at all government hospitals in the state this year.
State Community Development and People's Well-being Minister Datuk James Ratib said the initiative is part of the Sabah Sejahtera hospital assistance scheme under the Sabah Maju Jaya development plan.
As part of the initiative, 100 new haemodialysis machines will be supplied to 25 hospitals and clinics across Sabah to replace some of the 474 malfunctioning machines.
An allocation of RM8.5mil has been set aside for the programme, aimed at easing the burden on end-stage kidney patients, particularly those from low-income backgrounds.
"Of the total, RM4mil will go towards covering treatment costs, while RM4.5mil will be used to purchase haemodialysis machines," James said during the winding-up session of his ministry’s debate at the Sabah state assembly sitting on Wednesday (April 16).
He added that the government would also fully bear the cost of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis for patients undergoing home-based treatment.
James said the assistance scheme currently focuses on kidney-related treatments and may be expanded to cover other medical services in future phases, depending on public healthcare needs.
