KUCHING: The federal government’s target of achieving a 2.06 hospital beds for every 1,000 population by 2025 may not be effective in resolving the overall health care needs in Sarawak.
This is due mainly to the state’s scattered population, said Local Government and Housing Assistant Minister Dr Annuar Rapaee.
As such, while welcoming the move, he cautioned that its implementation should be adjusted to suit the needs of every state such as Sarawak.
“A more inclusive approach is required to ensure the move’s overall effectiveness in achieving its target,” he said on Facebook.
He was commenting on the government’s proposal to improve hospitals’ preparedness to achieve a ratio of 2.06 hospital beds for every 1,000 population under the 12th Malaysia Plan (2021-2025).
Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob announced this when tabling the motion of the five-year development plan on Monday (Sept 27).
“This is because the population is scattered throughout Sarawak — there are dense settlements in the city but in the rural and interior areas, the population density is comparatively very low.
“If the federal government were to strictly follow the bed ratio method for Sarawak, then some places, especially those with a low population density, will not get the much-needed hospital facilities until any time soon,” he added.
Dr Annuar suggested that the provision of health care services should be based on how easily the population had access to the services rather than depending on the population alone.
On efforts to bridge the gap between the urban and rural health facilities, where the government planned to build and upgrade health clinics throughout the country, Dr Annuar questioned the mode of selecting the clinics for the upgrading exercise.
“Is it going to be based on the number of people in the area where the clinic is located? This question must be clarified because in Sarawak, there are many health clinics that are not only located far away but are still relatively left behind as compared to other health clinics,” he added.
Dr Annuar expressed grave concern that many of the health clinics in Sarawak would not have the chance to be upgraded should the selection criteria were to be based on population.
He proposed that aside population, due consideration should also be accorded to the aspect of minimum service.
“What I meant is that a clinic should have at least a doctor, an X-Ray machine, and a small laboratory.
“If all health clinics have these facilities, then every resident will enjoy the same facilities. Only then the shared prosperity can be translated,” said Dr Annuar.
