Mobile dental clinic on custom built Scania coach
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, 25 January 2023 – A Scania coach was recently delivered to Kementerian Kesihatan Malaysia (KKM) at a ceremony held at the Bahagian Kesihatan Pergigian, Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Sabah. The key to the coach was handed over to guest of honour, Datuk Dr. Rose Nani Mudin, Sabah state director of health and Dr Zaiton H. Tahir, deputy director of health (Dental) Sabah, by Shahril Othman, National Solutions Sales Manager–Coach & Bus, Scania Southeast Asia, who represented Scania as the K360IB4X2 coach chassis provider with Khaw Soy Ou, Managing Director, Pioneer Coachbuilders Sdn Bhd as the bodybuild.
The event was also graced by Senior Dental Officers from Tawau and Sandakan along with top officials from the Health Department in Sabah. The KKM Mobile Dental Clinic comes with the complimentary 24/7 Scania Assistance service and the data-driven Scania Fleet Management System package will be exclusively deployed for the Sandakan district. With this well-equipped Scania coach that is fuel-efficient, safe, environmentally friendly with reduced CO2 emission and comfortable, the mobile dental team will be able to reach Sandakan’s remote areas and serve the public more effectively.
“We are constantly on the move as our waiting patients rely heavily on us to reach them as scheduled. Travlling long distances safely and comfortably with the Scania coach meets with our expectation, that a Scania brand can fulfil. And as a bonus, this environmentally friendly coach will reduce the CO2 emissions, reducing our carbon footprint as we perform our duty for the people in the Sandakan vicinity. I am looking forward to the fuel-efficient journeys that this coach will give to our Sandakan team, lowering our operating cost consistently,” said Dr Zaiton H. Tahir.
“Scania has always been given the opportunity to support the civil service efforts in performing their duty for the Malaysian public. We applaud the KKM Mobile Dental team in their initiative to reach the Rakyat by providing the best in dental care for everyone. Scania is pleased that the Sabah State Health Department have faith in all the benefits that comes from the features that the coach carries. Scania will continue to ensure that the Scania mobile unit is well maintained for a worry-free operation. The Scania Malaysia Sales and Services centre in Sandakan is available 24/7 via the Scania Assistance service in case of any emergency. We are only a phone-call away,” said Shahril.
The KKM Mobile Dental Clinic is approved under the Malaysia Plan projects. KKM Mobile Dental Clinic is equipped with portable dental equipment and relies on the Scania custom-built coach to reach Sabah’s remote regions to deliver its services to the waiting populace. A reliable, durable, fuel efficient and environmentally friendly coach is required for this job as this KKM Mobile Dental team provide outreach dental treatment in kindergartens, schools, to toddlers, the elderly, and special needs children.
As an addition to Scania’s fuel-efficiency, this Scania coach comes with the Opticruise with Eco-mode as standard, enabling further fuel savings. The Scania coaches’ safety features include the Electronic Braking System (EBS), the Anti-Lock Braking System (ABS) with traction control and hill hold when required. The automatic and manual control Retarder further adds to the braking system while putting less strain to the wear and tear of the brake-pads. Independent front suspension for unparalleled stability, comfort and safety. It also comes with the 3-fire alarm sensors for any emergency.
A Scania Vehicle Introduction training was held before the event at the Bahagian Kesihatan Pergigian, Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Sabah. This training by Scania Driver Trainer, Adnan Ibrahim for two of the KKM Mobile Dental Clinic drivers is imperative in getting these drivers familiar with the controls and their functions and the necessary initial steps that they are required to do in any emergency.