IPOH: The Social Security Organisation (Perkeso) spends about RM350 million annually to finance the treatment costs of contributors suffering from kidney disease.

Human Resources Minister V. Sivakumar said this was a very big amount and Perkeso, in a bid to reduce the costs, is making efforts to establish more dialysis centres nationwide.

"Discussions have been held with the Ministry of Health to enable more Perkeso dialysis centres to be opened nationwide.

"This (measure) can reduce Perkeso's liability because costs can be reduced to help those (contributors) suffering from kidney disease," he told a media conference in conjunction with the Perkeso Deepavali 2023 celebration here today.

Meanwhile, Sivakumar said he was told by Perkeso Group chief executive officer Datuk Seri Dr Mohammed Azman Aziz Mohammed that preliminary work to establish a dialysis centre in Perak is being carried out.

"I will make an announcement in January or February (2024) regarding this matter because they (Perkeso) are still at the early stages of identifying a suitable site for the opening of the dialysis centre, but there will definitely be one," he said.

Sivakumar said the dialysis centre is not connected to the construction of Perkeso's National Neuro-Robotics and Cybernics Rehabilitation Centre in Meru Raya here, which is expected to be ready by the end of 2024.

"That (rehabilitation centre) is different. The rehabilitation centre in Taman Meru is now 35 per cent completed and is expected to be fully completed in November 2024... progressing on time and expected to be operational in early 2025," he said.

Touching on the programme, Sivakumar said Perkeso has donated three haemodialysis machines to accommodate the increased treatment needs of chronic kidney patients.

He said two of the units have been donated to the National Kidney Foundation of Malaysia (NKF)-Yayasan Dialisis Pendidikan Akhlak Perak and the other unit to Persatuan Meningkat Akhlak Woh Peng Cheang Seah.

Sivakumar also said that, as of October, Perkeso has spent almost RM46.84 million to provide 1,171 units of the haemodialysis machine since dialysis treatment was introduced by the agency in 1998.

-- BERNAMA