KUDAT: Universiti Malaysia Sabah (UMS) has achieved a milestone in reducing the inequity between urban and rural areas in Sabah.

The varisty’s hospital recently opened a specialist clinic services at its UMS Rural Medical Education Centre (RMEC) based in Kudat. 

According to Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Health Sciences Prof Dr. Saffree Jeffree, the faculty’s specialist and trainee lecturers have been travelling 190km to Kudat in order to run various specialist clinics on average twice a month at UMS RMEC.

“The faculty has 127 specialists who cover the entire range of specialties, from Internal Medicine to ophthalmology to orthopaedics.

“We intend to leverage on our human assets to do what we do best, which is providing evidence-based specialist care services to the people who need it the most,” he said.

Dr Saffree Jeffree.

He added that the specialist clinics services is crucial as Kudat is one of the districts furthest geographically from a tertiary hospital in Sabah.

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Meanwhile, the State Health Director, Datuk Dr Christina Rundi expresses her enthusiasm for HUMS to provide a platform to enable high quality specialist services to be provided by the FMHS.

“I’m highly supporting all the FMHS UMS effort as this could reduce the treatment gap between urban and rural areas in Sabah, “Dr. Christina said. 

HUMS Director, Prof. Dr. Helen Benedict Lasimbang also emphasis that in an age of post-Covid 19 physical distancing, it is imperative outpatient spaces are decongested to reduce pandemic spread.

“Moreover, as specialist services are spread between Ministry of Health and Ministry of Education services in Kudat, it will increase the quality of care available to patients, promote inter-agency and inter-ministry collaboration, and ultimately, heighten the level of care available to the populace of Kudat district,” she said.

Dr. Helen further explain that two specialties have already begun their services in RMEC Kudat, which is psychiatry spearheaded by Dr Nicholas Pang and Dr Amiruddin Mohd Kassim, and Ear, Nose and Throat in which spearheaded by Dr Eugene Wong.

“Future expansion plans include paediatrics, rehabilitation medicine, and the exciting addition of anaesthetic services to supplement the Ear Nose and Throat surgeon. 

“The long term plan is for FMHS specialists serving Hospital UMS to spread their wings both to RMEC Kudat in an outpatient setting and Hospital Kudat operating theatres, performing elective surgeries in collaboration with Hospital Kudat,” Dr. Helen said.

Specialist services will be expanded gradually to RMEC Kudat over the next one year, provisionally on Fridays for now. 

For more information, please contact RMEC Kudat on 088-612460 to find out latest specialist clinic times or to book an appointment.

Press release and UMS pictures provided by Universiti Malaysia Sabah.