Dr Jamilah Hashim
SIBU: Those who have medical appointments tomorrow and are at a loss of whether or not specialist clinics at state hospitals are open need not worry, as many will be despite it being a public holiday.
The exceptions will be K1M (1Malaysia Clinics) and health clinics at UTCs, which will be closed.
Health facilities in the state have taken the appropriate action and arrangement on operational and patients’ appointments in light of the recently declared public holiday on Sept 4 to celebrate the country’s outstanding achievements in the SEA Games.
“Today (Sept 4) was declared as a public holiday by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. For that, most of our facilities (hospital, clinic, pharmacy and dental) will need to take appropriate action and arrangement for their operation and patient appointments according to their own capabilities and resources,” state health director Dr Jamilah Hashim said in a press statement to The Borneo Post yesterday.
It will be business as usual for the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), Sibu Hospital, Miri Hospital and Bintulu Hospital as most of the specialist clinics will be open.
Those that will be closed have already contacted their cases beforehand and affected patients were given a new appointment date. For the OPD (outpatient department) Pharmacy at SGH, the opening hours will be from 7.30am to 10pm.
The ETD (Emergency and Trauma) Pharmacy at Sibu Hospital will be open from 8am to 5pm and the OPD will be open from 3pm to 10pm.
As for Miri Hospital, the specialist clinics and elective surgery will be operating as usual, she added.
For Bintulu Hospital, the Medical Out Patient Department (MOPD) will function as usual. The hospital’s Pharmacy opening hours will be from 8am to 5pm, and might be extended to 7pm if MOPD functions are still not finished.
Bintulu Hospital’s ophthalmogy clinic will be closed but affected patients have been contacted and given new appointments.
If the patient should still come, they will be seen by the Medical Officer (MO) or specialist on call, according to Dr Jamilah.
Likewise, the patients of the gynaecology clinic of Bintulu Hospital were also given new appointments. However, if they should come, they will be seen by the MO on call.
Turning to minor specialist hospital – Serian, Sri Aman, Sarikei, Kapit and Limbang hospitals, she said for Serian Hospital – the clinic will be open half day and afternoon patients will be attended by on call staffs.
As for Sri Aman Hospital – the specialist clinic will open as usual.
The specialist clinics and elective surgery in Sarikei and Kapit hospitals too open as usual.
Limbang Hospital – OPD will be closed but visiting specialist clinic will be open as scheduled.
Turning to non-specialist hospitals in Bau, Lundu, Simunjan, Betong, Saratok, Kanowit, Dalat, Daro, Mukah, Marudi and Lawas, she said all of hospitals will open for half a day and patients that come in the afternoon will be attended by on-call staff.
The Pusat Jantung Sarawak (PJS) cardiac clinic and day care centre will be open as usual.
INR Clinic will be postponed to Tuesday and Wednesday. For PJS Pharmacy, opening hours will be from 8am to 1pm.
She said for Sentosa Hospital, the clinic will be open as usual but if patients did not turn up, they will be given new appointment dates.
At Rajah Brooke Memorial Hospital, the clinic will be closed and new appointments will be given to affected patients, she pointed out.
Dr Jamilah said for dental clinics on the other hand, all affected patients will be called on Tuesday to reschedule their appointments.
All health clinics will be closed including K1M (1Malaysia Clinics) and health clinics at UTCs (all UTC operations are closed from Aug 31 till Sept 4).
“For emergency cases in rural clinics, there will be staff on standby. Flying Doctor Services will still be running as scheduled,” Dr Jamilah said.