KUCHING: An annoyed Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Dr Sim Kui Hian has weighed in on the complaint that a patient had to wait two hours before getting treatment at a hospital, saying he intends to get to the bottom of it.
Waiting at registration counters at a hospital for 120 minutes is ‘not suitable’, he said, adding he will bring this up with the State Health Department.
Recently, a Facebook post went viral after the patient in Bintulu Hospital waited 120 minutes at the registration counter before receiving treatment at a specialist clinic.
”If you have a heart attack (and wait for) 120 minutes, ‘bye bye’. Most hospitals have a red zone, yellow zone and green zone, but if it’s a red zone type of emergency then it’s immediate,” Dr Sim told reporters at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) Complex on Monday (May 6).
“Waiting 120 minutes is not suitable, but I need more details to find out from the State Health Department and this is one more reason why we want our health autonomy.”
Pointing out that the department comes under the purview of the federal government, Dr Sim who is Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government hoped the federal government will do a better job in Sarawak in in terms of hospitals, infrastructure and in terms of human resources.
Towards this end he stressed that the federal government must return health autonomy to Sarawak and fulfill the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
“We want them to give the power back to Sarawak. We will discuss it again in the MA63 committee (meeting),” he said, adding the state will understand and manage health matters better.
On March 30, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim was reported as saying that he has agreed to a new approach proposed by the Sarawak government, where the state initiates the funding with subsequent support from the federal government for the construction of the Sarawak Cancer Centre.
He described the collaborative effort as the ‘first of its kind in Malaysia’ aimed at expediting the establishment of the cancer centre to address the critical healthcare needs of cancer patients in Sarawak.
The Sarawak government had also previously proposed to provide a total of RM1 billion for funding the cancer centre, with the federal government responsible for providing medical specialists and equipment.
