The Penang government has urged Putrajaya to decentralise medical services, such as dialysis, to ensure wider access to treatment.

State health committee chairman Dr Afif Bahardin said the Federal Government must also reconsider its decision to shut down unlicensed dialysis centres.

He said privately run centres, which were mostly set up by non-governmental organisations, existed because the Government could not ensure affordable treatments were accessible to all patients.

 "Where health centres are concerned, Putrajaya controls everything but in order for medical services to be distributed effectively, the states must be given more authority. The locals will know much better what is needed in the states.

"The Health Ministry has failed to address the rise in kidney failure cases. The number has gone up from 1,204 cases in 1993 to 26,404.

“The Government's healthy lifestyle campaigns are a failure.

"Kidney failure or diseases are preventable if the people are educated on maintaining a healthy lifestyle and eating right," he said in his office today.

Dr Afif, a medical doctor, said the Health Ministry's decision on the licensing of dialysis centres would burden patients and also hamper the Penang government's efforts to set up such centres around the state.

State welfare, caring society and environment committee chairman Phee Boon Poh said shutting down unlicensed centres would force patients to go to licensed and commercialised centres which were costly.

It costs a minimum of RM120 for a session in private dialysis centres.

Phee, who was formerly state health exco, agreed that there had been some cases of contamination in dialysis centres, but said these were isolated cases.

He drew attention to the newly launched CAT Dialysis Centre in Balik Pulau that offered subsidised treatments at only RM30 per session.

He said it took the state three years to obtain a licence to operate it.

"Patients have to wait for a long time before they can get treated (at licensed centres).”

It was reported that the Health Ministry has stopped issuing new licences for dialysis centres and will close down existing ones that do not meet requirements and endanger patients’ safety.

There are now 560 haemodialysis centres nationwide run by non-governmental organisations and private firms but only 326 have licences from the ministry.

Dr Afif and Phee also criticised an English daily for using a photo of the CAT Dialysis Centre along with its report on unlicensed dialysis centres.

source:MJNnews