PETALING JAYA, January 30 — Going through dirt roads and pushing vehicles just to reach the people they serve are all in a day’s work for healthcare staff in Sandakan.
This is in addition to them carrying out their regular duties, including taking patients’ information and administering polio vaccination for babies.
Their hard work was recently brought to light on Facebook earlier this week when the page Promosi Kesihatan Pejabat Kawasan Sandakan (PKPKS) posted pictures of them doing their work.
The post was duly shared by another Facebook page, SandakanKini, that captioned pictures of the nurses on duty — “They deserve a raise of salary” referring to the dedication these nurses have put in by heading to the villages while carrying their medical equipment to serve the people staying in rural areas.
The free polio vaccine service was given in conjunction with the Sabah Polio Immunisation Campaign and was carried out since December 27 last year, by the health and rural clinics of Sandakan.
A report by Bernama disclosed that a total of 109,232 children in Sabah, of age five and below have been given the polio vaccine since January 25.
Last year, a three-month old boy from Tuaran, Sabah, was admitted to the intensive care unit (ICU) for poliomyelitis, and it was the first reported case in the country. This year, the number rose to three as two other boys were also affected by the disease.
Polio is a lethal disease caused by poliovirus, and it can spread from one person to another by infecting the spinal cord and causing paralysis.
Social media users were quick with their praise and voiced their appreciation to the medical team.
Facebook user, Surinda Amsa, commented on PKPKS post: “Congratulations on the work done, and may God bless you.” —
