Human Resource Minister V. Sivakumar visiting a kidney patient underdoing treatment at the new PERKESO dialysis centre in Bandar Bukit Tinggi, Klang. With him is PERKESO group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed.
KLANG: He is only 35 years of age but Muhd Taqif Muhd Azlan was ready to abandon all hopes to live.
Earning just a little over RM1,000 each month, the contract factory worker and father-of-two was diagnosed with kidney failure in March.
He had to undergo dialysis treatment three times a week – up to 14 times a month – to stay alive.
“With my meagre salary, I cannot afford so many dialysis treatments each month. I thought that I had no other options, I gave up hope and I was ready to die,” he said.
Fortunately, Muhd Taqif is a registered Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) member. This means that his dialysis treatments are covered by PERKESO.
On Thursday, PERKESO launched a new dialysis centre in Bandar Bukit Tinggi here – in conjunction with the official opening of its new Klang office.
Spanning 5,091sq ft, PERKESO’s dialysis centre here is able to provide treatment to 18 patients a day through three shifts, as well as complete dialysis cycles for 36 patients every three days, weekly.
“PERKESO’s dialysis centre can help kidney patients save RM168 a month, meaning that one patient can save RM2,016 in a year,” said Human Resource Minister V. Sivakumar who officiated at the dialysis centre launch.
“PERKESO does not generate any profit here, but instead, reduces costs for patients who require 14 dialysis treatments a month.”
He said that PERKESO aims to add another 19 dialysis machines to the current six at the Klang centre, as well as open more dialysis centres across the country to reduce the financial burden of patients.
This is to cater for 2,000 to 3,000 new applications for dialysis treatment each year. Currently, over 17,000 insured persons or employees covered by the organisation receive dialysis treatment provided by 707 designated panel dialysis centres.
Sivakumar said the cost of the treatment borne by PERKESO was RM1.12mil in 1999 – the year it began introducing dialysis facilities.
“This cost has skyrocketed to RM334.67mil last year, in line with the increase of members receiving treatment at PERKESO dialysis facilities.
“We expect PERKESO’s dialysis aid expenditure to hit more than RM400mil in the next five years, and half a billion ringgit in 10 years,” he said at the event. Present were PERKESO group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed and Klang MP Ganabatirau Veraman.
PERKESO board chairman Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said the organisation would expand its dialysis facilities for the benefit of members.
“There are no hidden charges or deposits required for treatment. We are not in competition with other dialysis centres,” he assured members.
In addition to providing optimal erythropoietin injections to patients at no charge, the PERKESO dialysis centre also offers transport services to and from the centre as well as blood tests to patients at no additional cost.
Stressing that PERKESO constantly strives to improve its services by expanding social security protection, Subahan says services by PERKESO are made more accessible to members through the opening of more branches across the country.
So far, there are 54 PERKESO offices throughout the country including the headquarters at Menara PERKESO in Kuala Lumpur.
“We are always ready to serve, manage and implement social security protection schemes for all our members at any given time,” said Subahan.
For more information on PERKESO’s services, go to www.perkeso.gov.my/en
KLANG: He is only 35 years of age but Muhd Taqif Muhd Azlan was ready to abandon all hopes to live.
Earning just a little over RM1,000 each month, the contract factory worker and father-of-two was diagnosed with kidney failure in March.
He had to undergo dialysis treatment three times a week – up to 14 times a month – to stay alive.
“With my meagre salary, I cannot afford so many dialysis treatments each month. I thought that I had no other options, I gave up hope and I was ready to die,” he said.
Fortunately, Muhd Taqif is a registered Social Security Organisation (PERKESO) member. This means that his dialysis treatments are covered by PERKESO.
On Thursday, PERKESO launched a new dialysis centre in Bandar Bukit Tinggi here – in conjunction with the official opening of its new Klang office.
Spanning 5,091sq ft, PERKESO’s dialysis centre here is able to provide treatment to 18 patients a day through three shifts, as well as complete dialysis cycles for 36 patients every three days, weekly.
“PERKESO’s dialysis centre can help kidney patients save RM168 a month, meaning that one patient can save RM2,016 in a year,” said Human Resource Minister V. Sivakumar who officiated at the dialysis centre launch.
“PERKESO does not generate any profit here, but instead, reduces costs for patients who require 14 dialysis treatments a month.”
He said that PERKESO aims to add another 19 dialysis machines to the current six at the Klang centre, as well as open more dialysis centres across the country to reduce the financial burden of patients.
This is to cater for 2,000 to 3,000 new applications for dialysis treatment each year. Currently, over 17,000 insured persons or employees covered by the organisation receive dialysis treatment provided by 707 designated panel dialysis centres.
Sivakumar said the cost of the treatment borne by PERKESO was RM1.12mil in 1999 – the year it began introducing dialysis facilities.
“This cost has skyrocketed to RM334.67mil last year, in line with the increase of members receiving treatment at PERKESO dialysis facilities.
“We expect PERKESO’s dialysis aid expenditure to hit more than RM400mil in the next five years, and half a billion ringgit in 10 years,” he said at the event. Present were PERKESO group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed and Klang MP Ganabatirau Veraman.
PERKESO board chairman Datuk Seri Subahan Kamal said the organisation would expand its dialysis facilities for the benefit of members.
“There are no hidden charges or deposits required for treatment. We are not in competition with other dialysis centres,” he assured members.
In addition to providing optimal erythropoietin injections to patients at no charge, the PERKESO dialysis centre also offers transport services to and from the centre as well as blood tests to patients at no additional cost.
Stressing that PERKESO constantly strives to improve its services by expanding social security protection, Subahan says services by PERKESO are made more accessible to members through the opening of more branches across the country.
So far, there are 54 PERKESO offices throughout the country including the headquarters at Menara PERKESO in Kuala Lumpur.
“We are always ready to serve, manage and implement social security protection schemes for all our members at any given time,” said Subahan.
For more information on PERKESO’s services, go to www.perkeso.gov.my/en
