Urgent need for Socso Rehabilitation Centres in Sabah, S’wak, says Dr Yii

KUCHING (Jan 16): There is an urgent need for Social Security Organisation (Socso) Rehabilitation Centres to be established in Sarawak and Sabah, said Dr Kelvin Yii.

The Bandar Kuching MP said presently there is only one such centre operating in the country, which is the Tun Abdul Razak Socso Rehabilitation Centre in Ayer Keroh, Melaka.

“The second centre in Ipoh is scheduled to begin operations this year while a third in Terengganu is still under construction,” he said in a statement today.

Dr Yii, who is the special advisor to the Ministry of Health, welcomed the recent call by Human Resources Minister Steven Sim for Socso to establish another three rehabilitation centres in the country, including Sabah and Sarawak.

He pointed out that as there are no Socso Rehabilitation Centres in East Malaysia, those from Sarawak and Sabah who need to undergo rehabilitation at this facility would have to travel all the way to Peninsular Malaysia.

“This has caused a lot of inconvenience especially for those who are 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 and Sarawak, there is an urgent need for such centres in both of these states to cater for their needs,” said the national DAP Socialist Youth (Dapsy) chief.

He said since the Tun Abdul Razak Socso Rehabilitation Centre in Melaka opened in 2014, the centre has provided services to more than 15,000 Socso contributors and non-contributors to undergo rehabilitation after being involved in an accident or contracting illnesses while on duty.

“It has state-of-the-art equipments and assets for rehabilitation. Currently, this rehabilitation centre 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,” he said.

He noted that many patients at the centre, who suffered multiple workplace injuries and illnesses such as spinal cord injury (SCI), trauma of limbs, 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 two out of three patients managed to return to work after undergoing intensive rehabilitation treatment at the centre.

“Such facilities and technology should be expanded so that all Malaysians who need them can get access regardless of their background or even demographics,” said Dr Yii.

He said he will work closely with the Ministry of Human Resources and Socso to ensure that the proposal is properly implemented while taking into account all the necessary factors for the good of the people in the region.

Sim on Monday (Jan 15) called on Socso to establish three more rehabilitation centres within the next five years.

He had hoped to see Socso expand this facility nationwide and to include Sabah and Sarawak.