KUCHING: Sarawak is strengthening early detection and rural outreach efforts to keep tuberculosis (TB) under control and prevent potential outbreaks.
Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian said the state’s long-standing awareness that TB is endemic has helped maintain control over the disease.
“In Sarawak, we always think of TB because we know it is endemic. It is always around,” he said at the Community Bubur Lambuk Distribution Programme 2026 at Stutong Community Market on Saturday (Feb 21).
He explained that in some more developed regions, TB is often overlooked until cases escalate into outbreaks, requiring extensive contact tracing.
Describing TB as a “great disguise” that can mimic many other diseases, he stressed the importance of early screening and prompt diagnosis.
Dr Sim highlighted a recent milestone in Bintulu, where the Bintulu Divisional Health Office became the first in the country to receive a handheld X-ray machine.
The device, donated by Press Metal, enables healthcare teams to conduct screenings directly in longhouses and remote communities without requiring residents to travel to clinics or hospitals.
“With the handheld X-ray machine, they can go out to the longhouses instead of bringing people to the clinic or hospital,” he said.
He added that the portable technology was originally developed for military use but has since been adapted for civilian healthcare, offering new possibilities in rural medical outreach.
Dr Sim said bringing portable screening equipment directly to longhouses is also crucial in preventing further transmission during suspected outbreaks.
“If there is an outbreak in a longhouse and you ask the whole longhouse to come for X-ray, they may cough along the way and spread it to more people.
“It is better that doctors or paramedics bring the X-ray machine to the longhouse and quarantine them there – not isolate them, but manage them there,” he said.
He said such an approach reduces movement, limits exposure to the wider community and allows health authorities to contain potential clusters more effectively.
Dr Sim said the innovation strengthens Sarawak’s fight against TB, particularly in geographically challenging areas, ensuring earlier detection, controlled transmission and better disease management.
