Robert Jeno
KUCHING: The Ministry of Health (MOH) has been urged to expedite the operation of a health clinic at Long Busang in Belaga as the people there are in dire need of medical care.
Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) Belaga Youth chief Robert Jeno said the clinic was built by the locals on a ‘gotong-royong’ basis with the collaboration of Pumuda PRS Belaga, Kelab Belia Belaga, Politeknik Kuching, Kolej Komuniti, Kelab Belia Kubu Belaga and through the initiative of Belaga assemblyman Liwan Lagang.
“The clinic has been completed and fully furnished with all the necessary office equipment for the use of the staff.
“The residents of Long Busang still have not yet received any news from MOH as to when the clinic will start operating. As a result of this, Long Busang residents still have difficulty in obtaining health services and put their lives in danger especially in serious cases such as birth and chronic diseases,” Robert told The Borneo Post here recently.
He said he fully supported Liwan in urging MOH to speed up the operation of the clinic and hoped that the clinic could be operating by next month.
The total cost of the project was about RM200,000. The clinic will provide basic primary health care services to some 2,000 people from four villages namely Long Busang, Long Unai, Sang Anau and Long Jawe.
Robert was responding to comments by Assistant Minster for Public Health Datuk Dr Jerip Susil who disclosed that the staffing requirement for the new clinic had been put forward to MOH.
“Essentially the issue is whether the clinic would be categorised under Type 3 where a medical officer (MO) will be provided or Type 5 which will be staffed with a medical assistant (MA) and community nurses (JM),” said Dr Jerip.
Dr Jerip was hopeful that the clinic would be staffed with at least an MA and JMs to start with so that simple medical services such as maternity and child health services could be provided. He has yet to get a response from MOH.
“This is not new as during the old days, we built many clinics on a ‘gotong-royong’ basis and eventually staffed them with medical personnel,” added Dr Jerip.