KOTA KINABALU: Soaring medical costs are putting corrective heart surgeries beyond the reach of underprivileged children, prompting the Society for the Sabah Heart Fund (SOSHF) to renew its appeal to the State Government for increased funding to ensure more patients receive timely, life-saving treatment.
“The cost of each corrective heart surgery is between RM38,000 and RM58,000, which is far beyond the means of low-income families,” said SOSHF president, Datuk Eva Susau, who headed the SOSHF delegation in a courtesy call on State Minister of Women, Health and People’s Wellbeing, Datuk Julita Majungki, yesterday.
“For 45 years, this support has given more than 739 Sabahan children a second chance at life,” she said, expressing gratitude for the State Government’s continued support while underlining the need for increased annual grant and greater public generosity in supporting the cause.
Congenital Heart Disease (CHD) affects roughly 1 in every 100 newborn babies. To mark its 45th anniversary, the non-profit organization has launched a fundraising effort to raise RM150,000 to send three more children for urgent corrective surgery.
Sabah Head of State, Tun Datuk Seri Panglima (Dr) Musa Bin Haji Aman, who is the Patron of SOSHF, will grace the dinner as guest of honour, while Julita has been invited as a special guest. The Society also plans to pay a courtesy call on Chief Minister Datuk Seri Panglima Haji Hajiji Haji Mohd Noor to personally invite him.
The campaign will culminate in the SOSHF 45th Anniversary Celebrations cum Fundraising Dinner 2027, themed “45 Years of Mending Hearts: A Legacy of Love and Hope since 1982.” The event will be held on Sunday, 11 April 2027, at Sipadan Hall III, Level 4, Sabah International Convention Centre (SICC).
The fundraising evening will feature performances by a premier local singer alongside former SOSHF paediatric heart patients whose operations were funded by the Society.
Tables for the dinner are now on sale at RM2,500, RM3,000, RM5,000, RM7,000, and RM8,000. Corporate bodies and members of the public can also support the cause by placing advertisements in the 45th Anniversary Souvenir Magazine before the 30 January 2027 closing date, or by making direct contributions.
Direct donations can be deposited to Persatuan Tabung Pesakit Jantung Sabah via Maybank account number 5101 4311 2262. For enquiries regarding tables, magazine advertisements, or donations, contact Dicksonal at +60 19-880 1270, call the office at 088-732715, or email sbhheartfund@gmail.com. – Mohd Izham Bin Hashim
Eva (4th from left), with Julita (5th from right), during the SOSHF courtesy visit to the Ministry of Women, Health and People’s Welfare yesterday.
