Sarawak to broaden palliative care services Statewide, says Deputy Premier

Dr Sim (centre) officiates the opening ceremony of the 15th Malaysian Hospice Council Congress (MHCC) held in Sibu on July 25, 2024. Photo credit: TVS

By DayakDaily Team

KUCHING, July 26: The Sarawak government is set on expanding its palliative care services throughout the State, according to Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian.

As per a TVS news report, Dr Sim emphasised that palliative care in Sarawak is currently focused mainly in urban areas and has yet to be fully integrated into primary health care services.

“We need to develop palliative care services further to meet the demand by 2030, given that Sarawak has a high need for palliative care.

“The long distance to get the service, for example, from Sibu to Kuching, takes a long time, although the road infrastructure is good, it is still far and not only the travel time but the cost and so on is quite large,” he was quoted as saying.

Dr Sim, who is also the Minister of Public Health, Housing, and Local Government Sarawak, made these remarks during the opening ceremony of the 15th Malaysian Hospice Council Congress (MHCC) held in Sibu last night (July 25).

He further mentioned that palliative care in Malaysia was established in 1995, with Sarawak starting its efforts later, in 2016, at the Oncology Department of Sarawak General Hospital (SGH).

“I am pleased that many non-governmental organisations (NGOs) are helping to fill the gaps, especially in domiciliary palliative care, which is now available in 34 health clinics as of 2023,” he added.

The minister also noted ongoing collaboration between Sarawak and the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO), which includes the ASCO e-Course on Palliative Care launched in 2021.

“This partnership has expanded benefits not only to participants in Sarawak but also across Malaysia,” he said. — DayakDaily