MRC

Date: 30/3/08 [SUNDAY]

Sarawak through the Malaysian Red Crescent, MRC is intensifying its various humanitarian programmes this year, particularly the Emergency Response, ER Programme, and training of volunteers. Sarawak Deputy Chief Minister, Datuk Patinggi Tan Sri Dr. George Chan who is also the Chairman of MRC, Sarawak Chapter says as ER is the core business of MRC throughout the state, the members have to meet regularly. For the state level, they have to meet at least twice a year either for refresher course or get togther. In this way, they could maintain high degree of readiness for any emergency response.

Speaking to RTM in Miri yesterday after officating the Annuaal General Meeting of the MRC Miri Chapter, Datuk Patinggi Dr. Chan said they hoped to train as many as possible among its 400-thousand members in Sarawak including eight-thousand members in Miri. Meanwhile, MRC Miri Chapter is seriously pursuing the proposed establishment of the first National MRC Training Institute. He said MRC had asked the state government for land at Permyjaya for the Institute and once approved construction of the project will start soon. He added that MRC Headquarters in Kuala Lumpur had decided that Miri is the ideal location, following many requests especially from the oil and gas industry for trainings of para medics and skillfull volunteers for Emergency Response.

The Training Institute will also be an integrated Centre for ER, and 3R that is Recycle, Reduce and Reuse items needed for disaster programmes. Meanwhile, the MRC Centre at Jalan Bulan Sabit will continue to be used for the Miri Chapter other activities especially its Sunflower Centre and Kidney Dialysis Centre which needs to be expanded to cater for more patients. The Chairman of the Dialysis Centre, Encik Lee Kim Shin said currently, the Dialysis Centre has 169 patients and will have to be expanded further by next year to cater for additional 100 patients. The expansion project will cost some 2.1 million ringgit.