Kota Kinabalu: The Palliative Care Association (PCA) Home Care Programme has to work with very limited funds as the annual operational cost averages more than RM500,000.Patron of the Palliative Care Association of Kota Kinabalu (PCAKK), Datuk Victor Paul disclosed this at the 17th PCA Annual Charity Dinner & Show dubbed A Moment of Love, featuring Sheyla Bonnick.PCAKK has cared for more than 3,000 patients since 1998 and now takes care of around 160 patients at any given time in Kota Kinabalu and Tuaran.
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It also works closely with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) Palliative Care Unit (PCU) to provide quality medical care and emotional support."Without your generous contribution and valuable support, PCA would not be able to continue providing the care which is essential for terminally ill patients. "Thanks to our generous donors, PCA can provide all the patient care and home support needed for free," he told the 1,060-strong audience at the Magellan Sutera Hotel, Friday.At this juncture, Victor made a special vote of thanks to Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Aman, who was the guest of honour, for the assistance and support rendered throughout the years.
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The core objective of PCAKK is to provide physical, mental and emotional support to patients who are terminally ill, regardless of race, religion or being rich or poor.Victor also acknowledged the donation of RM100,000 per year from corporate figure Datuk Ambrose Lee, saying his magnanimity has made a big difference in the lives of patients and their families.
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This time around, Lee's son Riorn presented a cheque for the sum to PCAKK President, Matron Morna Chua, witnessed by Musa and Victor.The Patron described Morna, Immediate Past President cum Organising Chairperson Datuk Margaret Lim, Medical Advisers Datuk Dr Ranjit Mathew Oommen and Datin Dr Molly Mathew, doctors, nurses, helpers and volunteers who have worked tirelessly, as "unsung heroes" of PCAKK."And I must pay tribute to the late Tina Rimmer who had contributed tremendously to PCAKK through her artistic works. "My sincere appreciation also to the State Government, Sutera Harbour, Daily Express, Winecellars, RMB Records and to all present, for your support and commitment in providing PCAKK the financial stability and enabling us to continue delivering the medical care so desperately needed," said Victor.The event was organised by PCAKK in collaboration with Sutera Harbour. The main sponsors were Daily Express, Winecellars and RMB Records. Other sponsors were All Best Entertainment, Angkatan Hebat Sdn Bhd and Sound Tech Production Sdn. Bhd.Managing Director of Sabah Publishing House Sdn Bhd, Datuk Clement Yeh, received a certificate of appreciation from Musa.Earlier, Morna said referral to the Home Care Service had shown an increasing trend with a total of referrals from 259 in 2015 to 300 in 2016, averagely caring for about 130-140 patients at any one time. Patients are visited weekly, and fortnightly for those stable ones. "With the good support of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital's Palliative Care Unit (PCU) under the directorship of Dr Heric Corray, we are able to provide seamless care for our patients till the end."PCAKK has maintained its mission of reaching out to those with advanced incurable cancer and end stage organ failure in relieving their sufferings by controlling their pain and symptoms in keeping with our goal of improving the quality of life for both the patient and family. "Without such care, many will suffer not only a traumatic confrontation with living, but also the fear and reality of unmanaged symptoms, especially excruciating pain," she said. Given the aim to bring the hospital to the homes of patients, Morna stressed that the increasing number of equipment to meet the demand of the patients requires a bigger storage area. "More space is also required for our clinical and administrative staff. For this reason, we are still pursuing our future plan to have a building which can accommodate our expanding needs. We need at least two acres. Therefore, we are hoping to raise sufficient funds for that purpose and our operational activities."Saying PCA has established a good reputation for ensuring that every cent used is on patients' care, Morna said PCAKK's operational expenditure in 2016 was more than RM650,000.Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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