There is a need to not only repair these facilities, but outright replace it anew”.Īre we still going to be treated in rotten or mouldy wooden clinics with no electrical supply and clean water supply come 2030?Įnough of temporary measures which do not address the root cause. This would take either six to seven hours by land or a 45-minute flight across a distance of 300 to 400km.Ī senior Sarawak public health government doctor has this to say: “Old, dilapidated health care facilities are still running and treating patients on a daily basis. Prior to that, all patients needing an MRI would have to travel to Kota Kinabalu. There have been some improvements: the first ever MRI machine reached Sandakan hospital in December 2021. Aged and broken equipment should be repaired or replaced the system supplying essential items to hospitals should be improved to enable clinicians to carry out their duties without worry. Medical equipment, from autoclave machines and operating theatre instruments to lab supplies such as reagents, test tubes, culture bottles, and others need looking into. Handphone access and coverage is often weak and sometimes undetectable in certain tertiary hospitals in Sabah, what more in district hospitals where coverage and internet connection is important, especially for referrals? The Pan Borneo Highway is (slowly) being completed, and it is hoped that by GE16, ambulances do not have to play the “dodge-the-pothole” game as they ferry patients and respond to calls. There is a lack of hospitals (district and tertiary) in Sabah, causing patients to have to travel long distances (some up to 100+km) just to see a specialist. Many Malaysians in rural Sabah (and Sarawak and Peninsular Malaysia) still need to cross rivers, ride boats, and make their way through unpaved gravel roads to reach a facility, only to find out there is no X-ray machine there. ![]() We need to go back to the basics of health care – infrastructure and access.
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