I welcome the statement and intention by the current Human Resource Minister YB Steven Sim to establish three more Social Security Organisation (SOSCO) rehabilitation centres including in Sabah and Sarawak within the next five years.
There is an urgent for rehabilitation globally including in Malaysia due to our ageing population and the surge of chronic illnesses(NCDs) in our country.
However, there are signs of inadequate supply of rehabilitation services in the country.
Currently there is only one centre operating at the moment which is the Tun Abdul Razak Perkeso Rehabilitation Centre in Ayer Keroh Melaka.The second centre which is built in Ipoh is scheduled to begin operations this year and a third in Terengganu is still under construction.
There is none currently in East Malaysia and those that apply into such rehabilitation centre needs to fly all the way and that cause alot of inconvenience especially those 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 & Sarawak, there is an urgent need for such centres in both of those states to cater for their needs.
Since Tun Abdul Razak Perkeso Rehabilitation Centre in Melaka opened in 2014, it has provided services to more than 15,000 SOCSO contributors and non-contributors to undergo rehabilitation after being involved in an accidents or contracting illnesses while on duty.
It has state of the art equipments and assets for rehabilitation. Currently, PRPTAR houses the Neuro-Robotics Rehabilitation and Cybernics Centre, which utilises neuro-robotic 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.
Many of their patients who suffered multiple work-place injuries and illnesses such as spinal cord injury(SCI), trauma of limps, 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 2 out of 3 patients managed to return to work after undergoing intensive rehabilitation treatment at the centre.
Such fascilities and technology should be expended so that all Malaysians who needs them can get access regardless of their background or even demographics.
Will work closely with the Ministry of Human Resource and SOCSO to ensure such proposal is implemented properly taking into account all necessary factors for the good of the people in the region.
Dr. Kelvin Yii Lee Wuen
MP of Bandar Kuching
National DAPSY Chief
