PENAMPANG: Penampang urgently needs a hospital in view of its growing population, said the President of the Social Democratic Harmony Party (KDM), Datuk Peter Anthony.
He urged the government to speed up the construction of the hospital given the rapid development in the district and the recent upgrade of the Penampang district to the Municipal Council.
“If I become Chief Minister, this hospital in Penampang will be my priority. I will approve for the construction immediately,” he said this to some 200 supporters in Kampung Kolopis here, recently.
Peter officiated the launch of the election machinery for the Moyog State Assembly and Penampang Parliament in Kg Kolopis which was attended by his deputy and heads of Penampang KDM branches.
He said, if the hospital in Penampang is built, it will help reduce the overcrowding of the people who receive treatment at Queen Elizabeth Hospital Kota Kinabalu.
“The residents of Penampang have been pleading for years for this hospital to be built because the existing clinic can no longer provide effective services. Patients are overcrowding and the less parking spaces add to their misery.
“How long will they stand with that hardship? With the various problems they face such as floods and paying more for parking tickets, when will they be able to enjoy life comfortably,” he said.
Recently, Sabah Native Party Coordinator for the West Coast Dr Edwin Bosi said the population of Penampang increased from 86,621 people in 2000 to 165,700 in 2023.
He also told the proposal to build Class 3 Health Clinic (KK3) in Donggongon several years ago, must be accelerated.
In the classification of Malaysian health clinics, when the average number of daily arrivals at the clinic is 300-500 patients, it is categorized as a Class 3 Health Clinic (KK3). This category, among others, is provided with OPD, dental, rehab, X-Ray, laboratory and pharmacy facilities.
The KK3 clinic, said Dr Bosi, is the answer to the needs of the growing number of patients and will complement the existing Penampang Polyclinic.
“The early construction of a Class 3 clinic in Donggongon is important. I hope this is not just an election promise made by the government,” said Dr Bosi, referring to the RM50 million funding announcement in April this year to build the clinic here.
The proposal to build this hospital was once proposed in the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) but was told there was a delay in implementing it.
At that time the minister in charge of the project informed that the land had been redeemed for that purpose. Phase 1 to prepare the site began in 2013 and was completed in 2015.
Unfortunately, to this day and after 15 years of land redemption, there are no signs of any kind of construction on this property.
According to Peter, he is aware of the situation at the polyclinic and that the public need to be patient. But for how long more do they have to wait?
The project to build a clinic in the district is one of the main agendas placed in the High Impact Projects Monitoring Committee in Penampang led by Penampang Member of Parliament Datuk Ewon Benedick.
Other projects in the committee are the construction of new Tamu Donggongon, Pan Borneo, school and flood mitigation projects.
