KUCHING: PKR in Sarawak wants the government to allocate at least RM1.5 billion to build several new hospital projects and upgrade divisional and district hospitals in order to provide medical services for the people in the state which up to now has been neglected.
“We urge the government to build at least three new hospitals for Greater Kuching to be sited at Petra Jaya to cater for people around the Santubong area, at Batu Kawa for people around Moyan and at Siburan to cater for the people from Padawan Municipal council and its surroundings,” said Dr Francis Ngu, head of PKR health services and welfare bureau.
He suggested that the Petra Jaya hospital should have 400 beds, while the Batu Kawa-Moyan and the Siburan hospitals should have 250 and 350 beds respectively.
Both Sibu and Miri hospitals should also be upgraded to cater for the central and northern regions respectively and their services should be on par with those provided by the Sarawak general hospital, he said, adding that several other divisional and district hospitals should also be upgraded to provide the minimal resident specialist services.
In addition, the beds of Sarawak International Medical Centre in Samarahan should be increased from 200 to 350 beds.
“For all these projects, a total development allocation of RM1.5 billion is sought, and increased annual operating expenditures of new and upgraded hospitals will have to be budgeted accordingly.
“All these projects should be implemented in the 10th Malaysia Plan and to be carried over to the next Malaysia Plan,” Ngu said in a discussion paper on health services in the state.
It will get worse
He said that the estimate were in addition to development and operational funds needed for the new and better polyclinics.
“PKR has been successively canvassed since 2006 both inside and outside Dewan Undangan Negeri for new hospital projects and to upgrade the services of existing divisional and district hospitals.
“We have even appealed for fast-tracked budgetary approval, but other than the ‘one-of’ promise for Petra Jaya general hospital, there has been no meaningful and substantive response from state and federal governments,” Ngu lamented.
He warned that under provision-versus-service needs, Kuching and other towns will get worse if no aggressive proactive planning is undertaken immediately.
“Apart from the rapid urban population growth which is underpinned by rural-urban migration, the slowly but steadily aging population adds to the service needs.
“The national doctor population target is 1:500, but in Sarawak it is 1:1,000+ and this is even a camouflage of the urban-rural disparity.
“The ratio is expected to greatly improve in three to five years, given the large numbers of medical graduates joining the service,” Ngu said.
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