Lee (right) is briefed by (from left) Senawati, Longan and Dr Raja Lope.
MIRI: The Psychiatric Unit of Miri Hospital is in dire need of upgrade and replacement of its facilities as most of the machines and electrical appliances are no longer able to cater to the need of the patients and staff.
Assistant Minister of Tourism, Arts and Culture Datuk Lee Kim Shin expressed this disappointment when inspecting the psychiatric unit yesterday.
“The air-conditioners that have been used for many years are no longer functioning and the machine – Electroconvulsive therapy machine in the ECT Room – is not working properly anymore.
“The elevator that has stopped working two years ago was left at the exact condition without any effort to repair it. There is so much that needs to be done yet nothing was done to improve it,” said Lee, who had received feedback from the Miri Hospital Board of Visitors Psychiatry and the managers of department of Psychiatry.
He added that for the meantime, he would try to assist with the cost of installing four split units of air-conditioners at the department to help improve the environment in the ward, consultation room and ECT room.
“As for machines that are costlier such as the electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) machine and Electrocardiography (ECG) machine, I will try my best to help make arrangements and at the same time, appeal to the Ministry of Health for funding,” he said.
Lee was also informed that the consultation room located right next to the entrance of the building is only a space covered with a white board to segregate patients from the waiting crowd during consultation.
“I was appalled with the condition of the consultation room which I strongly believe needs to be improved with walled-up room and airy atmosphere,” he told reporters, adding arrangements would be done to improve the area.
He stressed that mental health must not be neglected because it is correlated to physical health.
“In fact, it is so important that without good mental health, it would be almost impossible to have proper physical health.”
Lee stressed that the Ministry of Health must give serious attention and take immediate action to improve the facilities at the Psychiatric Unit as it caters for a huge number of patients from the whole northern Sarawak.
“I was told by psychiatrist Dr Raja Lope Adam that about 30 per cent of the nationwide population have mental problem of one kind or another, at one time or another. This is a huge number that must not be overseen.”
Currently, there are over 700 patients per month that undergoing follow-up treatment that are registered with the Psychiatric Unit of Miri Hospital, with age ranging from five years to over 80 years and of the number, those between 20 and 40 years old constitute the highest number of patients.
“Having any mental problem does not mean it is an illness but it could possibly be caused by stress, genetic or substance (drug) or multifactorial. The modern and hectic lifestyle may have even added to the problem. Even so, we must have proper facility to properly cater for patients of such need,” said Lee, adding that it is time to focus on the health wellbeing of the people without politicising any issue.
Among those present during the inspection were psychiatrist Dr Raja Lope Adam Raja Hussian and matron Senawati Sahani and nurse Longan Kelukut.