SHAH ALAM, June 5 — Attendees of Selangor Saring, the state’s free health screening programme, said the event has helped them be more aware of early signs of illness.
“When I got here, I felt like I had no illness. But when there is a screening for a mammogram, for a colorectal (check), indirectly, I start thinking, do I have symptoms?” said Izzah Amira, 33, who was met by Media Selangor during the Kota Kemuning edition of Selangor Saring at Dewan Kenanga Seksyen 28 here on April 19.
She admitted that Selangor Saring makes early detection more accessible.
“Health (checkups must be done) every now and then to detect illness in the early stages. If someone’s already sick and has to go to the hospital, that defeats the purpose of the programme.
“So when you do a regular screening every six months, you can find out (if) you’re sick and get early treatment,” she said.
Lim Teck Heng, 65, meanwhile said the presence of healthcare workers during the programme helps her get screened for free.
“(Selangor Saring) has many workers, so I see our government is very good; it looks after lots of people,” she added.
“If this happens every year, it is very good so we can tell our relatives or close friends. If we go outside (seek private healthcare) it is not easy,” Lim said.
For Noraliza Mohd Ali, 52, Selangor Saring gives mothers the chance to undergo health checks that they usually put off due to family obligations.
“This is a good initiative because for us mothers, we rarely put ourselves first, we put our families first.
“Till now we think that if we’re not in pain, we don’t have to (seek medical attention), so when (Selangor Saring) is held on weekends like this, we have time to go,” she said.
Mustatha Md Sharif, 67, who said it was his first time at a Selangor Saring event, reminded that regular checkups are important as one gets older.
“Regular screenings are important, especially when we’re older… We (invite) disease. So we do this screening to check our health.
“It’s best we do this screening regularly so if anything is wrong, we know before it gets critical,” he added.
On a related development, Shah Alam City Council (MBSA) honorary secretary Roslan Jamil said this is the third year Selangor Saring has been held.
“Selgate does it for every state constituency in Selangor, and Selangor Saring is (held) from January to December across 56 state constituencies,” he said.
Selangor Saring was introduced by the state government in 2022 to provide free health screenings to Selangor residents. Among the screenings offered are mammograms, blood and urine tests, and eye, teeth and ear checkups.
Selangoreans interested in Selangor Saring may register for a free screening in their respective state constituencies on the Selangkah app.
