Look into Sabah's healthcare facility issues, DAP tells KL
Published on: Saturday, April 18, 2015
Sandakan: DAP Sabah has urged the Federal Government to look into Sabah's underdeveloped healthcare facility issues in the 11th Malaysia Plan (11MP) that is expected to be tabled in the May Parliament sitting.MP Stephen Wong Tien Fatt who is also DAP Sabah deputy chairman said the government can no longer delay but immediately increase resources and allocation to improve healthcare facilities in Sabah. He said the standard should be at par with the national level and Peninsular Malaysia to show that the Barisan Nasional government was treating Sabah and Sarawak equally.
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A written reply from Health Minister Datuk S Subramaniam to Wong in Parliament recently showed the Sabah's hospital beds per population ratio was 1.3 for every 1,000 population in 2013."It only increased by 0.1 bed over eight years. The progress is too slow and seemed like no improvement. It should be increased significantly in eight years," he said.On the other hand, according to the reply, Sabah has 2,778 doctors serving in the public and private healthcare sectors in 2013.As for the doctor per population statistics, one doctor was serving 1,234 people in year 2013 and this was a 100 per cent increase from the ratio of one doctor per 2,485 population in 2005 but the national ratio was one doctor for 633 population in year 2013.
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The World Health Organisation (WHO) standard is 1:600.He hoped the government would look into this problem seriously and increase the allocation as well as resources to upgrade relevant medical facilities in the hospitals of Sabah.
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Wong also urged the government to improve the facilities at the Sandakan district hospital including establishing an oncology centre and radiotherapy facilities to serve Sabahans in the East Coast. Stay up-to-date by following Daily Express’s Telegram channel.
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