AYER KEROH: A total of 9,500 Social Security Organisation (Socso) contributors, suffering from employment injuries or occupational diseases, have received treatment at its rehabilitation centres.
Of the total, some 7,800 contributors, or called insured persons received their medical care, physical and vocational rehabilitation services at Sosco's state of the art Tun Abdul Razak Rehabilitation Centre (TRRC) since its opening in 2014.
TRRC chief executive officer Datuk Dr Hafez Hussain said the centre, located on a 22ha site in Green City of Hang Tuah Jaya, offers intensive and integrated rehabilitation to Socso's insured persons. It ensures that they reach their goals of returning to work or improving their independence in activities of daily living (ADL).
"TRRC provides intensive rehabilitation which ranges from neurological, musculoskeletal, amputee, spinal cord injury, hydrotherapy, and cognitive rehabilitation.
"We also offer neuro-robotics rehabilitation, ADL, therapeutic garden and aquaponics therapy, cognitive remediation therapy, driving and motorcycle riding rehabilitation, as well as work hardening and industrial rehabilitation.
"Also available are sensory therapy, which includes optometry, speech therapy, dietetics, audiology and mental health recharge programme," he told reporters after TRRC media familiarisation yesterday.
He said TRRC is also the centre for advanced neuro-robotics rehabilitation with Cybernics technology, established in collaboration with Cyberdyne Inc Japan.
"Our Neuro-Robotics Rehabilitation and Cybernics Centre is the first in Malaysia and Asean region. We are also the fourth country which offers Cybernics treatment with the complete range of Cyberdyne HAL."
He said the technology combines interaction between humans, robots and information to treat Socso's insured persons with paralysis or weakened limbs caused by injury or central nervous system disorder such as spinal cord injury, stroke, traumatic brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases to regain their ability to walk again.
Other than TRRC, four other Socso's rehabilitation centres are located at Tanjung Pelepas in Johor, Kuala Terengganu in Terengganu, Ara Damansara in Selangor, and Quill City Mall in Kuala Lumpur.
Another two are at Kubang Kerian in Kelantan - in collaboration with Universiti Sains Malaysia Hospital, and at the National Heart Institute in Kuala Lumpur.
Dr Hafez said another rehabilitation centre, similar to TRRC, will be opened in Ipoh, Perak and is expected to be completed by 2024.
The seventh rehabilitation centre will be built on 36.81ha of land with cooperation from Perbadanan Kemajuan Negeri Perak (PKNP) and an allocation of RM500 million from Socso.
Meanwhile, as the country is set to enter into endemicity on April 1, Dr Hafez said TRRC will be enhancing its telerehabilitation programme, which uses video teleconferencing (VTC) with Open Broadcaster Software (OBs).
He said rehabilitation via VTC was first used when the Covid-19 pandemic hit the country.
"It was implemented to reduce face-to-face activities between the patients and trainers in carrying out their therapy.'
He added some of Socso's insured persons were unable to come to TRRC for its services due to the limited number of beds available.
He said at present, there are only 381 beds available at TRRC, and the waiting list can be up to three-months. Currently, there are nine million Socso contributors nationwide.