A trainee at PDK Dalat, Stephen Lihai, 48, smiles as Tokuda (right) helps him with the spoon while his mother Seriah Gameng, 74, (left) and Fatimah (second right) look on.

DALAT: The services of Community Rehabilitation Centres (PDK) statewide will be improved from time to time, according to Minister of Welfare, Women and Family Development Datuk Fatimah Abdullah.

She said establishment of PDK under the state’s Welfare Department (JKM) was to provide rehabilitation and therapy services to the disabled (OKU).

She said one of the moves to improve PDK service was creating therapist posts under JKM.

“JKM is receiving applications from diploma and degree holders for nine therapist posts on a contract basis.

“The department needs three occupation therapists, three speech therapists and three physiotherapists to be placed at any of the 44 PDKs statewide depending on need.

“The state government has just approved the therapist posts after my ministry submitted the paperwork on the matter.

“The posts are on contract basis until federal Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development allocates some funds for the purpose,” she said when officiating at a ‘Briefing and Demonstration on Occupational Therapy’ session at PDK Dalatin Kampung Sungai Ud here yesterday.

Occupation therapist from Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) Chiho Tokuda conducted the session.
Fatimah who is Dalat assemblywoman said all this while JKM depended heavily on the Health Department for therapists but they were insufficient to cater to patients in hospitals in the state.

She said two therapists from JOCV, including Tokuda, were assigned to Sarawak under a programme of federal Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development.

There are 327 OKU registered in the district with 62 of them trainees at PDK Dalat. Also present at the function was PDK Dalat chairperson Hadiah Jaraie.