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Wound Care Unit for all Sabah hospitals BorneoPost Online | Borneo , Malaysia, Sarawak Daily News » Sabah - New 2 Borneo

Wound Care Unit for all Sabah hospitals

Posted: 11 Jun 2014 10:40 AM PDT

KOTA KINABALU: The State Health Department has proposed the setting up of a Wound Care Unit in all hospitals in Sabah.

State health director Dr Christina Rundi said a Wound Care Unit had been set up in Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH1) as a start, but the department would ensure that the unit would be set up in all hospitals and specialist hospitals to provide the same level of treatment to patients in Sabah.

She said this in an interview after officiating at the opening ceremony of the 10th Sabah State Enterostomal Therapy (ET) Workshop 2014 (Wound Care) at QEH here yesterday.

The three-day workshop, which ends on June 13, is organized by the Surgical Department of QEH, in collaboration with State Health Department.

ET is a specialized field of nursing that involves the care of patients with stomas, wounds and incontinence.

Christina said the circular of the Director General of Health in 2011 puts forth the guidelines to set up wound care teams in hospitals under the Malaysian Health Ministry (KKM).

She said that KKM issued the guidelines after conducting a study in seven hospitals in the country on the number of patients needing wound care back in 2010.

Results of the study show that 6.5 per cent (11,732) of total inpatients and 10 per cent (16,586) of total out-patients required wound care. The actual dressing time for wounds are found to be eight to 25 minutes for diabetic foot ulcer (10cm x 8cm), 20 to 60 minutes for pressure sore (15cm in diameter) and 15 to 25 minutes for traumatic wound.

"The cost of dressing solutions and materials used was calculated to be RM1.5 million; this is a huge amount of money just for wound care."

Christina pointed out that the number of patients needing wound care was on an upward trend. In 2013 alone, wound management for in-patients had increased from five patients in March to 66 patients in December.

She said the Wound Care Unit in QEH is aiming to reduce treatment costs of patients in terms of their duration of stay in the hospital and usage of wound dressing and medicine, as well as to cut down on infections due to long duration of stay in the hospital.

Since the setting up of the Wound Care Unit in QEH, Christina said wound care in the hospital has become more organized as there is now a team tasked with caring for patients with wounds before they were sent to the hospital, or during medical treatment in the hospital.

In addition, the hospital could collect data on wound care, which has shown that the number of patients requiring wound care is on the rise, she said.

Besides wound care, Christina said the unit was also responsible for organizing trainings such as the workshop yesterday, where they could impart information on modern methods of wound care and devices.

"We also invite those from health clinics to participate in this workshop because when patients are discharged from hospitals, they need to continue their wound care in health clinics. So we want to ensure that wound care in hospitals and health clinics are of the same standard,"she said.

The objective of the workshop was to enhance the knowledge and skills among nurses in wound care. The event also focused on the importance of wound care to a patient's quality of life. The workshop includes talks, practical sessions and presentation by the participants.

Although the job of an ET specialist nurse is demanding and sometimes stressful, Christina said it could lead to high job satisfaction.

"Many nurses are able to give treatment and support to patients till the patients can return to their previous roles like before. It is a great satisfaction to see the joy of patients when they are finally able to conduct their daily activities again."

Also present were KKM Wound Care Programme chief Mohd Anuar Hau Abdullah, Malaysia Society of Wound Care Professional president Dr Harikrishna K. R Nair, QEH director Dr Heric Corray and QEH Wound Care Unit chief Dr Yap Jiann Wen.

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Carnivals to help cleft lip patients

Posted: 11 Jun 2014 10:39 AM PDT

by Rebecca Chong. Posted on June 12, 2014, Thursday

KOTA KINABALU: Carnivals and programme could be used to clear patients waiting list, said the director of Sabah Health Department, Dr. Christina Rundi.

"Carnivals, such as this, could help patients speed up the treatment process as there will be experts and specialists from outside of Sabah present, who could assist in treating patients," she said when officiating at the closing ceremony of Cleft Carnival held at the Radiotherapy and Nuclear building of the Sabah Women and Children Hospital in Likas yesterday.

During the Cleft Carnival, a total of eleven patients with cleft condition were treated by plastic surgeons from Sabah, Kuching and Sungai Buloh.

According to Christina, these patients have been on the waiting list for one to three months. The reason for the long waiting period is the lack of expertise in Sabah as well as the distance of the patients from the hospitals here.

"In Sabah, there are only three plastic surgeons who could perform operation for cleft patients, one in Hospital Likas, one in Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 and one in a private medical centre. With only three experts in the State, the patients had to be put on a waiting list," she explained.

Cleft is a split or separation in the structure of lip or the roof of the mouth.

According to a study by the Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Department, Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1, a total of 170 new cases of cleft patients were recorded from January 2011 until December 2012 in Sabah. On average, one out of 600 to 700 people in the country suffer from cleft condition every year.

Christina said, the carnival, with the help of two other specialists from Kuching and Sungai Buloh, in line with the Blue Ocean Strategy, gathers expertise from different places in treating the eleven patients.

Treatment of all eleven patients during the carnival was fully funded by the Cleft Lip and Palate Association of Malaysia (CLAPAM).

At a private medical centre, one case of cleft condition surgery would cost RM8,000 to RM10,000. For Government hospitals, one case of cleft condition surgery would cost RM50 for one operation.

According to the president of CLAPAM, Zainal Azhar Ahmad, one patient suffering from cleft condition would need to go through a series of surgery, and not just one.

"Many people, especially those from the rural areas could not afford the cost of the surgery as well as the transportation cost. We hope that through this carnival, patients and their families' burden could be reduced," he added.

CLAPAM together with Sabah Women and Children Hospital Likas and the Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1 here organized the first ever Cleft Carnival which aims to treat patients suffering from cleft condition, and to give awareness, knowledge and tips to the parents to the patients during forums held throughout the carnival which started on June 8 until yesterday.

Dr. Christina, who was very happy with the result of the carnival, said that it should be held more frequently and throughout the State at different districts.

"This type of carnival should be held throughout the State, to reach people from different districts of Sabah, especially the in rural areas," she said.

She also said that the carnival had successfully brought together staff of the hospital from different departments, as treating cleft patients involve doctors and personnel from different departments and wards of the hospital.

Meanwhile, plastic surgeon of Queen Elizabeth Hospital 1, Dr. Sergius Ajik, said that Sabah is one of the states in the country that has a 'cleft clinic' which is conducted once in every month.

The 'cleft clinic' brings together different personnel and doctors of different expertise to discuss on issues involving problems faced and treatments of the cleft patients.

According to Zainal, CLAPAM is planning to have a support group in Sabah, with the aim of giving emotional support to parents of the cleft patients.

The support group would also share tips and knowledge on how to take care of patients with cleft condition.

"We understand the importance of the support group as a lot of parents need information on how to take care of the patients, as well as emotional and mental support. The support group will be set up in Sabah in the nearest time possible," Zainal promised.

Also present during the ceremony were the Director of Sabah Women and Children Hospital Likas, Dr. Tan Bee Hwai, and organizing chairman of the Cleft Carnival, Dr. K. J. Leong.

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PacifiCity inks tenancy pacts with cinema, supermarket

Posted: 11 Jun 2014 10:38 AM PDT

by Murib Morpi. Posted on June 12, 2014, Thursday

KOTA KINABALU: Pacific Santuary Holdings yesterday welcomed two key tenants for its soon-to-be completed project – the PacifiCity.

The company inked tenancy agreements with one of Malaysia's oldest and largest multiplex cinema operators, TGV Cinemas and Sarawak's leading supermarket chain Everise Supermarket, the anchor tenants for the lifestyle shopping mall scheduled for completion next year.

"We are excited to welcome the two key tenants for PacifiCity, who share the same vision of bringing exciting new retail and entertainment concepts to Sabah," said Pacific Santuary managing director Jonathan Wheeler after the signing ceremony.

Wheeler signed the agreement for Pacific while TGV and Everrise were represented by their respective chief executive officers, Gerald V Dibbayawan and Jeffrey Sia.

PacifiCity is a 25-acre integrated retail, commercial and residential development currently being built at Likas Bay. Its first phase is set to open for operation next year.

Under the agreement, TGV will operate an eight-screen 50,000 square feet cineplex, as its first establishment in Sabah.

PacifiCity will be the proud home of IMAX Cinema, the largest and most immerse cinema experience in the world. The IMAX screen is four-storey high, allowing a picture that is bigger, higher and wider than the audience's field of view.

The experience is intensified by a laser-aligned 12,000 watt sound system and a custom-designed seating layout to ensure movie goers are always in the centre of the action, no matter where they are sitting.

TGV has 22 cineplexes with close to 180 screens across the country and has reinvented the cinema experience in Malaysia with innovative concepts, such as beanie bag seats and the luxurious hall, which introduced in-film dining.

The signing was witnessed by Kota Kinabalu director general Datuk Yeo Boon Hai.

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People fed up with debate on Hiew, says senator

Posted: 11 Jun 2014 10:37 AM PDT

KOTA KINABALU: Barisan Nasional (BN) component parties should be more concerned about bigger issues pertaining to the country or people's interest rather than incessantly debating about Luyang assemblyman Hiew King Cheu joining MCA.

Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) deputy president Senator Datuk Chin Su Phin said the people were fed up with the constant debate surrounding Hiew's application to join MCA.

"BN component parties need not worry about which party that Hiew has joined, or whether his action was right or wrong because the people will judge for themselves," Chin said when commenting on the various statements made by BN component parties that they should reach a consensus before allowing Hiew to join MCA.

Chin opined that BN component parties should speak out more on issues concerning our country or the people's interests, such as the issues of the alleged Muslim convert Teoh Cheng Cheng in Penang and Umno pushing to debate the Hudud law in the Selangor State Assembly.

Chin said Hiew had earlier disclosed that he had filled in an application form to join Parti Bersatu Rakyat Sabah (PBRS).

"If Hiew applies to join Parti Bersatu Sabah (PBS), what will PBS say?"

He said the Luyang state seat had been allotted to MCA and would remain so even if Hiew joined PBRS or PBS.

Chin said BN discouraged elected representatives from its component parties from jumping ships, but none of the component parties had voiced out when Datuk Peter Pang En Yin quit LDP to join Gerakan in the past.

"How come the component parties only demanded that a consensus should be reached within BN when an ex-opposition party member decided to join MCA?"

Chin contended that the decision to accept Hiew into MCA was an internal affair of the party, and thus BN component parties need not debate about the issue.

He reiterated that BN component parties should be more concerned about bigger issues pertaining to our country and people, rather than on Hiew applying to join MCA.

"In my opinion, although jumping ships between BN component parties is not acceptable, an opposition party member applying to join BN component parties should be acceptable."

Chin said the people would make up their own mind whether it was right or wrong for elected representatives to join any political party, and it was not an issue for BN component parties to worry about.

He added Umno had also accepted many elected representatives who were previously from opposition parties but that did not cause quite a stir among component parties like Hiew's case.

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Eight countries for first fireworks contest in KK

Posted: 11 Jun 2014 10:36 AM PDT

KOTA KINABALU: For the first time ever, the Sabah International Fireworks Competition (SIFC) 2014 will bring the world's brightest, most colourful fireworks to the state's night skies as teams from around the world compete to claim glory for their respective countries.

Professional teams from eight countries, including France, UK and Australia, will be duking it over more than two weeks with every second of their showdowns viewable along seven kilometers of the Sabah coast.

The event will conclude with a big bang on Malaysia Day 2014, bringing this momentous occasion to a colourful close. These musically-synchronised displays of light, colour and sound will be followed by live performances from a host of international and local artistes.

Along with the fireworks and music, guests at the festival can also look forward to the SIFC Bazaar, where a wide variety of authentic Sabahan and Malaysian handicrafts as well as local and international delicacies will be on offer.

The SIFC 2014 will be held over 16 days with two display nights and four competition nights, from September 1-16 at Likas Bay public park, Tanjung Lipat. Entrance to view the competition is free.

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Trio nabbed over theft of library laptops

Posted: 11 Jun 2014 10:34 AM PDT

PAPAR: Police have arrested three youths for stealing eight 1Malaysia laptops from a public library and selling them to the public.

The suspects entered the library at Kampung Benoni, here through the back door and stole eight 1Malaysia laptops and a digital camera on May 31.

The suspects then sold the stolen laptops to unsuspecting villagers for quick profit.

On suspicion that the laptops may have been stolen items, a villager lodged a police report with the Papar Police Headquarters.

District police chief Deputy Superintendent George Abdul Rakman said acting on the police report and initial investigation at the library, police successfully arrested the suspects at Kg Benoni on June 9 around 11am.

"Police also recovered all the stolen items.

"The suspects, aged 16 and 17, have been remanded for investigation under Section 457 of the Penal Code for housebreaking," he said yesterday.

George also thanked villagers from Kg Benoni for lodging the report which led to the arrest of the suspects and recovery of the stolen items.

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We encourage commenting on our stories to give readers a chance to express their opinions; please refrain from vulgar language, insidious, seditious or slanderous remarks. While the comments here reflect the views of the readers, they are not necessarily that of Borneo Post Online. Borneo Post Online reserves the right not to publish or to remove comments that are offensive or volatile. Please read the Commenting Rules.