Kuala lumpur: Over RM18 million has been allocated for the construction of nine Yayasan Veteran Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (YVATM) Dialysis Centres across the country, aimed at expanding access to healthcare for veterans and the local community.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, the Malaysian Armed Forces Veterans Affairs Department (MAF JHEV) director-general Major General Datuk Semaon Marjuki stated that four of the dialysis centres are located in Selangor, two in Perak, and one each in Negeri Sembilan, Johor, and Pahang. "The opening of these nine dialysis centres is a strategic step by YVATM in expanding the delivery of dialysis treatment services to MAF veterans, their family members and the general public," he said to reporters after officiating the opening of the MAF Veterans Foundation Dialysis Centre branch in Batu Kurau.

Present at the event were Orang Besar Jajahan Datuk Seri Wan Mohd Isa Wan Mohd Razali (Larut, Matang and Selama), Larut, Matang and Selama district officer Mohd Nasrul Menhat, and MAF Veterans Foundation chief executive officer Lt Col Azwadi Jamian (R).

Semaon emphasized that all the dialysis centres are currently operated by DVET Holding Sdn Bhd, a wholly-owned subsidiary of the MAF Veterans Foundation. Meanwhile, there are 2,055 MAF veterans nationwide who are undergoing dialysis treatment at JHEV-operated dialysis centres, Social Security Organisation, or other approved facilities.

"Through the expansion of dialysis centre networks nationwide, YVATM hopes to continue contributing to the improvement of the quality of life for dialysis patients, and to strengthen the welfare agenda for MAF veterans in line with the government's aspiration to enhance the well-being of the people," he added.