Rotten deal by Health Ministry for Kudat folks
Published on: Friday, April 26, 2024
By: Hayati Dzulkifli
Ben said the Minister in charge of health matters in Sabah needs to apply for allocations to upgrade Kudat hospital facilities such as equipment and operating theatres.
Kota Kinabalu: Kudat district hospital is in dire need to be upgraded as well as to get more specialist doctors.
Tanjong Kapor Assemblyman Ben Chong, said the Minister in charge of health matters in Sabah needs to apply for allocations to upgrade Kudat hospital facilities such as equipment and operating theatres.
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This is so that there is no need for critical patients to be rushed to Kota Kinabalu (KK) hospitals.
“Although I know the allocation and matters related to this hospital are under the jurisdiction of the federal government, but I hope that the concerned Minister will negotiate with the Ministry of Health (MOH) FOR more specialist doctors to be placed at Kudat Hospital.
“As a short-term and quick measure, phase negotiate with the Sabah Health Department (JKNS) to increase the frequency of specialist doctors’ visits to Kudat so that patients do not have to go back and forth to KK at high expense beyond their means,” he said.
Ben was debating the policy speech of Sabah’s Governor Tun Juhar Mahiruddin at the State Legislative Assembly.
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He said currently, hundreds of patients or patients’ families from Kudat, have to go back and forth to the big government hospitals in KK where some have to attend medical reviews up to three times a week.
“Many of these patients are forced to ignore their treatments or medical reviews because they could not afford the transportation charges from Kudat to KK.
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“Some go into debt or have to mortgage gold and property just to pay for the transportation. Every day I notice ambulances have to rush from Kudat hospital to KK without stopping.
“There are times when patients in serious condition have to wait and fight for their lives because the ambulance that sent the previous patient had not returned from KK,” he said.
“I have seen myself an ambulance driver who just arrived at Kudat hospital after delivering a patient in KK, only having time to drink a glass of water before sending the next critical patient to KK.
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