Daro Hospital in endless predicament, now power and water

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The map of Daro (circled) and its surrounding areas.

KUCHING: Daro Hospital appears to be facing endless predicaments. The first predicament they faced was the lack of ambulance services. However, after it was highlighted by The Borneo Post recently, it was reported that Mukah Hospital would lend an ambulance and the Methodist Church would donate another one. And on top of that the hospital would be getting two new ones next year.

A concerned individual, who has become the source for The Borneo Post to highlight the predicaments faced by Daro Hospital on the absence of proper ambulance services in the past few months, also highlighted that the hospital was now facing other major issues: power interruption and dirty water flowing from its taps!

“We are facing a real dilemma here in Daro Hospital. Firstly, our water supply to the hospital is very unhealthy for consumption. And secondly, our power supply is always interrupted which could be dangerous to the patients in the hospital,” said the source.

As for the dirty water, the source added that it was supplied to other consumers in the district as well for quite a while already, seemingly without any solution in sight.

“As for the power supply, it is also a long outstanding issue faced by the patients. I was told that there is a back-up generator but the power has always been insufficient for the whole hospital,” said the source.

On a related issue, the source added that patients from Daro Hospital could be transported by the hospital boat ambulance which would reach Sibu Hospital after a journey of about two and a half hours.

“That would be the case if the ferry services stop at 10pm,” added the source. And after 10 pm, Daro would be completely like an island after all the ferry services stopped.

There are three ferry crossings to and from Daro; one crossing Batang Igan to Mukah and crossing Ng Kecil and Sg Serdeng to Sibu. All ferry crossings would take at least an hour. The services normally start at 6am.

Meanwhile, state health director Datu Dr Zulkifli clarified that Daro Hospital would not have to bear the expenses incurred by private van owners who had been providing temporary transport services to the hospital in the past few months.

He said this was because all expenses would have to be borne by the contract company concerned which had been providing ambulance services to the hospital.

Dr Zulkifli made the clarification after it was highlighted by the concerned citizen last Sunday that the contract company only paid for the first trip to Sibu and not the second and subsequent trips, which cost RM500 per trip.