KUALA LUMPUR, March 12 — MCA told the Health Ministry to care for kidney patients of the shuttered Mawar Haemodialysis Centre (MHC) in Seremban after three of them died within three weeks.
Negri Sembilan MCA state liaison chief Siow Koi Voon urged the federal ministry and the Pakatan Harapan Negri Sembilan state government to stop passing the remaining 271 kidney patients around.
“It is heartbreaking to see these patients suffering repeatedly having to go through the dialysis till midnight, or being transferred to farther places for dialysis treatment,” Siow said in a statement yesterday.
“After the sealing, with three deaths within a short span of only three weeks, S. Veerapan, the state exco in-charge of health, environment, co-operatives and consumerism had described this as normal and is not to be alarmed!
“Before the sealing, Mawar Dialysis Centre had experienced 40 deaths. It is bewildering that he appears to be indifferent towards uncovering the reasons for the deaths, when he should better protect the patients’ lives,” Siow added.
Malay Mail reported Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye as saying Sunday that kidney patients had an annual mortality rate of 13.4 per cent.
He added that the Health Ministry was attempting to accommodate MHC patients who could not relocate to private centres for dialysis.
“Government hospitals are opening up facilities to accommodate these patients. Some of our facilities are working over time until 2am. As far as possible, we will try to accommodate them and make sure those who need dialysis will receive treatment,” Dr Lee was quoted saying.
He also reportedly said the ministry did not want to take over MHC as it preferred to have private operators or NGOs run the private centre.
