Advocacy group to map financial aid, tackle challenges faced by S’wak cancer patients

KUCHING (Jan 16): The Society for Cancer Advocacy and Awareness (SCAN), in line with its advocacy role, will map out available financial aid and report on the challenges faced by cancer patients, before submitting recommendations to the relevant authorities.

The move aims to improve financial support for cancer patients and help ease their burden during critical times in their treatment, according to a SCAN spokesperson in a press statement on Thursday.

The announcement followed the recently concluded SCAN 6th Sarawak Patients Organisation Knowledge Exchange (SPOKE) event, held on Jan 10, which focused on financial aid for cancer patients.

The event brought together a diverse group of stakeholders and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) working to enhance cancer care in Sarawak.

Discussions were described as highly informative, providing participants with a clearer understanding of how to assist cancer patients in applying for funding.

“No doubt, during the discussions, issues were raised regarding red tapes and frustrations faced in the process of applying for financial aid,” the spokesperson said.

According to SCAN, the SPOKE event aims to discuss and find common ground on issues facing the cancer community and to encourage participation from all cancer NGOs in dialogue with government agencies, thereby strengthening advocacy for improved cancer healthcare in Sarawak.

This year’s discussion, titled ‘From Application to Aid’, focused on navigating and simplifying financial aid processes for cancer care.

Presenters included Farahida Mohd Farid from Majlis Kanser National (MAKNA), who spoke on the role of MAKNA in assisting cancer patients; Nor’Asmawati Mohd Ali Abdul Rahman from Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), who addressed social aspects of medical services for the B40 (low-income) group; and Mohd Ali Bin Taib, who presented on welfare services provided by the Sarawak Social Welfare Department (JKMS).

JKMS volunteer Janice Lim also shared firsthand insights on how volunteers can support applicants through the financial aid process.

The event saw participation from approximately 60 representatives from 30 organisations, including MAKNA, Sarawak Children’s Cancer Society, Pink Ribbon Support Group, Cancer Survivors Malaysia, Colorectal Cancer Survivorship Society Malaysia (CORUM), as well as healthcare professionals from SGH and representatives from Tabung Baitumal Sarawak, Tzu Chi, and other NGOs from Kuching, Sibu, and Miri.

SCAN advisor Datin Dayang Mariani said SPOKE has successfully united like-minded organisations.

“Each year, we see more participation and valuable feedback, with issues raised by participants being taken into consideration,” she added.

SCAN, a registered society and Union for International Cancer Control (UICC) member, serves as a unified voice for cancer patients, aiming to improve access to quality public healthcare and raise public awareness to increase cancer survival rates.

For more information, visit www.scan.org.my.