JERANTUT, Yang di-Pertuan Agong Al-Sultan Abdullah Ri'ayatuddin Al-Mustafa Billah Shah today graced the opening of the Yayasan Al-Sultan Abdullah (YASA) Haemodialysis Centre at Taman Impian Permai here.
The Regent of Pahang, Tengku Hassanal Ibrahim Alam Shah, was in attendance.
Also present were Pahang Public Works, Transport and Health Committee chairman Datuk Mohammad Fakhruddin Mohd Ariff, Pahang Health director Datuk Dr Nor Azimi Yunus and YASA general manager Mohd Fakhrul Islam Juhali.
At the event, Al-Sultan Abdullah also spent some time mingling with kidney patients who were receiving treatment at the centre.
His Majesty then witnessed the handover of an ambulance equipped with a defibrillator and ventilator to YASA for trauma and emergency assistance.
The hemodialysis centre, which is equipped with 12 haemodialysis machines, offers free treatment to underprivileged patients, with the cost being borne by YASA. The centre is open from 8 am to 5 pm from Monday to Saturday.
In a statement issued by Istana Negara, Al-Sultan Abdullah expressed his gratitude to the Health Ministry and government agencies for their support and contributions towards the establishment of the YASA haemodialysis centre in Jerantut, which was made possible by His Majesty's noble effort.
Comptroller of the Royal Household of Istana Negara, Major General Datuk Zahari Mohd Ariffin said Al-Sultan Abdullah's deep concern for chronic kidney patients, as well as the need for haemodialysis treatment for those who cannot afford it, particularly the M40 and B40 groups, has prompted His Majesty to establish the centre to help reduce their financial burden.
"The establishment of YASA haemodialysis centres is also purely aimed at helping the government because there are so many patients who need such treatment, with the number of new cases reaching 8,000 cases a year," he said.
The YASA Hemodialysis Centre in Jerantut is the fifth facility established by YASA. The first four YASA haemodialysis centres were opened on Aug 7, 2019, in Cheras, followed by the centre in Setiawangsa (opened on Aug 12, 2020), in Pekan, Pahang (opened on Dec 11, 2021), and at Taman Melati, Kuala Lumpur (opened on July 28, 2022).
Zahari said that last year, the four existing haemodialysis centres provided nearly 20,363 treatments per month, with a percentage of machine usage in each centre being between 95 and 100 per cent.
He said Al-Sultan Abdullah called on more individuals and private companies to come forward to help the target group get haemodialysis treatment through sponsorship and subsidies.
His Majesty also advised the people to always adopt a healthy lifestyle, watch their daily diet, and avoid consuming products that could harm the kidneys.
Source: BERNAMA News Agency