Activities
MAIN ACTIVITIES OF THE SOCIETY
1. Public Forum and education.
This is carried out regularly to disseminate information
about cancer, its risks factors and ways of prevention. This is usually done by giving
public lectures and the display of posters depicting various types of cancer.
2. Rural Health Clinics
This is one of our major activities. A group of volunteers
consisting of doctors, nurses and other volunteers go to the rural areas to promote
awareness of cancer amongst the rural people. During these visits talks on cancer in the
local dialect as well as screening for cancer, e.g. Pap smear, are carried out. Sometimes
difficult terrain have to be negotiated in order to reach these rural people who are
living in isolated areas.
3. Breast Cancer Support Group
This self-help group initiated by members of the Society
deals with women who have breast cancer or who have had breast cancer operation. This
group works closely with the surgeons at our General Hospital. They will visit patients
prior to breast cancer surgery and share personal experiences with one another. The trust
and rapport established during these visit to patients whilst in hospital as well as in
their homes make affected women emotionally and physically prepared.
4. Home Hospice Programme
This is a project which we have added to our on-going
programme. It was formed in March 1993, with the aim of providing palliative care to
patients with advanced cancer in their own homes. There are three tiers of volunteers
involved in this programme, and consists of doctors, nurses and lay volunteers. They are
all under the co-ordination of a Nurse Co-ordinator who arranges groups of volunteers to
visits patients in their homes. These volunteers administer care and support to the
patients after appropriate training, e.g. a nurse may administer injectable morphine. Due
to the non-cooperation of one or two surgeons in Q.E.H. no patients were referred to the
Society recently and so this programme has stagnated. The Societ is depending on self
referrals and referrals from Private Practitioners.
5. FINANCIAL AID
The Cancer Society of Sabah also provide financial aid to
needy patients and their relatives. This occurs when cancer patients from the rural areas
have to come to Kota Kinabalu for Radiotherapy or for the administration of anti-cancer
drugs. Financial Aid is usually used to pay for transport or to buy food for the relatives
who accompany these patients. In some cases financial aid is also given to buy a special
device such as a chemoport.
6. CANCER SCREENING CLINIC
A regular cancer screening clinic is held on every Saturday
afternoon in our Society's office. The aim of this is to provide an avenue for people who
are worried about cancer to be examined and to be counselled on the ways to prevent
cancer. The clinic is usually manned by a doctor with the assistance of a nurse. |
