SIBU, March 26 — The Sibu Hospital Action Committee is urging the federal government to give due attention to the hospital over its poor state of medical equipment and lack of manpower.
According to Dr Annuar Rapaee, who heads this committee, Sibu Hospital, which serves the entire central region of Sarawak, has somehow been neglected over the past 10 to 15 years.
He said the issue of substandard equipment and inadequate manpower became more glaring due to the impact of Covid-19 pandemic.
The Deputy Minister for Education, Innovation and Talent Development I, was yesterday responding to Senator Robert Lau’s revelation in parliament recently that 76 per cent of medical equipment in Sarawak healthcare system was beyond economic repair (BER).
Lau had asked how this compared to the nation’s BER rate and how much was required to replace all the broken equipment, when debating the King’s address.
Dr Annuar said: “In fact, the BER figure (for Sibu Hospital) was brought up during a recent briefing for all GPS assemblymen in Sibu.
“So, I will be going into specific on each and every BER equipment in Sibu Hospital, in addition to new equipment acquisition to better serve the people.
“After this list has been compiled, I will meet up with Sarawak Health director (Dr Ooi Choo Huck). In fact, I have contacted him, and he was very glad that the action committee has met to discuss the issues.
“He (Dr Ooi) has given assurance to work together with us on this BER equipment and lack of manpower in Sibu Hospital.
“If it were not for Covid-19 pandemic, we might not have been able to know the poor state of medical equipment and lack of staff at Sibu Hospital.
“It is therefore right that the federal government understands the role of Sibu Hospital in the central region of Sarawak.”
Given such urgency, Dr Annuar together with the New Sibu team for New Sibu will meet up with Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin, to bring to his attention the pressing issues of substandard medical equipment and lack of manpower in Sibu Hospital.
Dr Annuar has also reached out to several heads of medical services in Sarawak, who are actually heads of departments at Sarawak General Hospital.
“They have informed me that they have fought for replacement of BER equipment but to no avail.
“I would like to urge the federal government officials serving in Sarawak, that if they are unable to convince their superiors, whether in Health, Education and other ministries in Putrajaya, that when it comes to matters under federal government’s purview, to work with people’s elected representatives here to resolve the issue.
Dr Annuar believed that the New Team for New Sibu with its strong political will would be able to convince the federal government on these issues.
“Rest assured that we (GPS elected representatives in Sibu) will work very closely with Sibu Hospital,” he said. — Borneo Post Online
