KOTA KINABALU – Sabah DAP is pinning high hopes that Budget 2022 will have an allocation for Sabah’s basic health facilities and equipment given the need for the state to beef up such facilities.
Its secretary Chan Foong Hin told The Vibes that these facilities are not widely available in the state and only accessible in Kota Kinabalu, which is a six-hour drive from Sandakan and over seven-hour drive away from Tawau.
“For example, in Sabah, we do not have a single PET-CT (positron emission tomography–computed tomography) scan in our hospital for early detection of cancer by oncologists. Many Sabahans have to travel elsewhere for diagnosis,” said the Kota Kinabalu MP.
Chan said while people in Kota Kinabalu are luckier as they have easier access to government hospitals and clinics, it is a different story for people outside of the city.
“People from other districts in Sabah have to travel long distances to Kota Kinabalu to seek medical treatments that are not available in their districts.
“The ratio between population and specialists, such as obstetricians and gynaecologists, pediatricians, surgeons, anesthetists, etc, is getting wider with the increase in population, and more of such positions have to be created in Sabah, especially in government health facilities in rural areas.
“For example, patients suffering from heart problems in Tawau need to wait until their condition is stable, and if they survive, they then need to travel to Kota Kinabalu.
“They cannot transfer an interventional cardiologist to Tawau, because they don’t have the Cath Lab (cardiac catheterisation lab) and the facilities. This is the same with Sandakan.
“For the whole of Sabah, only one hospital has angiogram and angioplasty services – Queen Elizabeth II Hospital in Kota Kinabalu,” he said.
On his other wish for Budget 2022, Chan said that he hopes there will be an allocation for Sabah’s flood irrigation.
“The situation has been so bad – areas which were previously rarely hit by floods are now being flooded.
“The Sabah Irrigation and Drainage Department has come up with the Likas Barrage Project estimated to cost around RM850 million.
“I have brought up the project numerous times in the parliament (both in the main chambers during debate on the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP) and in the Special Chambers) and sought concrete answers on the project, or any other project, to prevent flash floods.
“However, the answer that has been given to me in parliament is non-commital. I was informed in writing that the Likas Barrage Project is still being studied and a feasibility study will be applied only for 12 MP’s third Rolling Plan in 2023.
“I hope this could be expedited and included in the National Budget,” he said. – The Vibes, October 24, 2021
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