Materia Medica Malaysiana

Medical volunteers head for the interior

A long and hazardous journey to get medical help two years ago resulted in the death of a pregnant woman.

She had complications and was advised to seek medical assistance at the nearest clinic, the Penampang Polyclinic, which is about 30km away.

To get there, it was 15km by foot and another 15km by road. She died while walking along the 15km footpath from Kampung Terian to the nearest road in Kampung Timpangoh here.

Since then, Malaysian Medical Relief Society (Mercy) Sabah chairman Dr Helen Lasimbang has made it a point to provide whatever medical assistance she could in remote villages such as Terian — even if it means walking 15km up the Crocker Range to reach them.

Today, Dr Lasimbang is leading a team of about 20 volunteers from Mercy Sabah and the Penampang Rotary Club to carry out medical check-ups and conduct health care lessons and computer classes during a four-day mission.

They will set camp in two of the five villages, Tiku and Terian, and expect to serve some 400 people.

The other villages are Kalanggaan, Kionob and Longkogungan.

"We will set off on foot from Timpangoh to Tiku where we will spend two nights, followed by another night at Terian.

"We will return on a route that will lead us to Kibambangan, which is another point where there is a road link, by Tuesday."



Dr Helen said the villagers needed help and the volunteers included four doctors.

Leading the Rotarians is Dr Helen’s sister, Jennifer, and their task is to teach children dental care and service several computers that were donated to the Terian community.

"We also have five students from institutions of higher learning to conduct computer classes besides doing some repair work."



The computers are powered by solar energy.

Dr Lasimbang, who is with the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, said the mission was Mercy's seventh medical relief project in Sabah this year.

The volunteers had earlier reached out to people in remote villages in Pitas, Kudat, Kota Marudu, Kiau and Tinangol as well as the islands of Mantanani and Bambangan.

Dr Lasimbang’s brother, Phillip, who is Moyog Assemblyman, said it took about three to four hours to walk to either Tiku or Terian from Timpangoh.

There were more than 1,000 people in the five remote villages which were connected by a footpath, he said.