KOTA KINABALU: The Health Ministry is alert to the needs of Sabahans and is building several new hospitals and upgrading facilities at the state and district hospitals, said the ministry’s director-general Datuk Seri Dr Hassan Abd Rahman.
“We have increased the number of doctors, Tawau Hospital has many specialists and new doctors have been appointed in Keningau Hospital and RM3.5 million has been allocated for the upgrading of facilities in the Lahad Datu Hospital,” he told reporters at a ‘Dinner Talk’ with media practitioners here Saturday night.
Among the hospitals and health centres which have been upgraded are the Nuclear and Radiotherapy Health Centre, Women and Children Hospital in Likas, Telupid, Nabawan and Sukau Health Clinics and Likas Hospital, added Dr Hassan. He further informed that the ministry had also been allocating RM4 million annually for the Flying Doctor Service to provide medical and dental services to the interiors of the state since 1978.
“We will introduce Mobile Eye Clinics for Cataract, like in Peninsular Malaysia, and mobile clinics using boats at Pensiangan for instance and a better boat for the 1Malaysia Mobile Clinic at the Kinabatangan River,” he said.
The event was officiated at by deputy health minister Datuk Rosnah Abdul Rashid Shirlin.
Meanwhile, Rosnah said she was impressed by the dedication and commitment of media practitioners in carrying out their duty to ensure the news they published was of high quality and ethical.
The Papar Member of Parliament went on to describe a media career as serious and requiring great sacrifices.
Therefore, she expressed hope that journalists and bloggers would always provide news with clear and concrete facts, in a balanced manner.
“This is because, delivering news or information which is inaccurate, especially related to medical and public health issues, would be detrimental to the people,” she emphasised. — Bernama