KOTA KINABALU, Sept 28 — A fundraising dinner by the Malaysian Aids Foundation (MAF)  tomorrow night is expected to raise “hundreds of thousands” of ringgit to benefit chronically ill Sabahans in the rural areas of the east coast.

The Red Ribbon Kota Kinabalu gala dinner here, hailed as a glamorous, first of its kind event, will channel funds for the Sabah AIDS Awareness Group Association’s (SAGA) health access programme, also known as SHAPE that is currently assisting patients in the district Sandakan with financial aid.

“With the funds, we hope to be able to expand the programme to other areas in the east coast like Kunak and Semporna, where patients suffering from HIV and other chronic illnesses cannot go for treatment either at clinics or district hospitals because of the distance and transportation issues,” said SAGA president Dr Zaiton Yahaya.

The effort is especially special for Sabah, where the number of reported HIV cases is specially low, and Aids could be eradicated for good, according to the MAF.

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“This is why MAF is focusing its efforts and investing its resources in Sabah in hopes of providing access to HIV treatment that could lead to an AIDS-free generation,” said MAF honorary secretary Bakhtiar Talhah at a press conference for the gala dinner tonight.

He said that response from the community has been very positive despite the last minute event.

According to statistics from the Health Ministry, the first reported case of HIV/AIDS in Sabah was in 1991, five years after the first case was reported in Malaysia.

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As of June 20, 2017 there were 2,649 HIV cases in the state, of which 451 resulted in AIDS-related deaths.

The most cases were detected in Kota Kinabalu, followed by Sandakan and Tawau.

SAGA, which started in 2008, launched SHAPE last year to address the socio-economic difficulties faced by HIV patients in the rural and dispersed Sabah, where HIV treatment is free, but only available in certain hospitals and clinics which may be hard to reach.

SHAPE provides financial assistance up to RM150 for each hospital visit and benefit from peer-led support groups, workshops and SAGA-facilitated counselling sessions.

The programme is currently helping some 60 patients of which 16 are inflicted with HIV while the remaining are facing other chronic illness such as renal failure, thalassemia, coronary complications and haemophilia.

Assistant minister of Health and Public Wellbeing Norazlinah Arif who also attended the press conference said that the programme was complementary to the government’s healthcare system where it could reach more patients in rural areas.

The Red Ribbon Kota Kinabalu gala dinner will be held at the Hilton Kota Kinabalu and singer Dayang Nurfaizah will serenade guests at the black-tie affair.

Tables are priced at RM25,000 (Diamond), RM10,000 (Platinum) and RM5,000 (Gold).

All purchases are tax exempted.

Malay Mail is a media partner for the event.