THE Skim Peduli Kesihatan for the B40 group (Peka B40) has given grandmother Liew Nyuk Fah fresh hopes of a second cataract-removal surgery.

The 84-year-old Kota Padawan resident paid RM500 for her first eye operation at the Sarawak General Hospital in Kuching but will now be able to undergo the second procedure for free under the government scheme.

Liew also has knee osteoarthritis and walks with great pain and difficulty.

Under Peka B40, Liew could also qualify for knee replacement surgery. Without the programme, Liew would have to pay RM3,000-5,000 for surgery on one knee at the state general hospital. 

But first, she is required to undergo a health screening, which is also free. 

Peka B40 is a government initiative that aims to provide low-income earners with healthcare with a focus on non-communicable diseases.

ProtectHealth Corporation Sdn Bhd, which administers the Peka B40 scheme on behalf of the Health Ministry, yesterday announced the resumption of the programme, which targets half a million Sarawak resident, after a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Reluctance to undergo health screenings

While the government has no problems reaching out to people like Liew, who live in the urban areas where Peka B40 registered clinics are easily accessible, it faces a challenge getting through to the rural folks, said ProtectHealth chief executive officer Dr Anas Alam Faizli.

For those in hard-to-reach places, “We have to go to them”, he said.

He said outreach trips are usually held in collaboration with state and federal government agencies, participating clinics and sometimes with civil society organisations to get to the rural folk.

Prior to the Covid-19 lockdown, 10 such trips had been organised in the state.

Those trips yielded disappointing feedback, Anas said, even though they taught the agencies pointers what to do in their health screening drives.

The poor turnouts showed that many in the B40 group did not understand the need for health screenings, he said.

Even though the people were informed in advance of the team’s arrival, “most of the time, half of them would just not show up”, said Anas.

“We were promised 1,000 but only 500 came.”

“They have the mentality, ‘Why go when I am not sick?’ and they do not understand the meaning of early detection and the need for it. They will only come if they are really sick.”

“(We have to get them to understand ) that all diseases when detected early have a better chance of being treated and resolved.”

And then there are the Malays, he said, who preferred traditional medicine to Western medicine.

This preference also needs to be changed, Anas said.

Otherwise, a sick person may find that he or she is too late for treatment by the time they go to the doctor, he said.  – April 9, 2022.