Selangau MP Edwin Banta said he would like to appeal for more funds for rural health infrastructure and improvement of clinic facilities.
KUCHING (Jan 24): Elected representatives of rural constituencies are now appealing for more funds for healthcare for people in the rural areas.
Besides, they were asked what would be their advices to newly-weds and those planning to have more children.
This follows a revelation by Sarawak Deputy Premier Dato Sri Dr Sim Kui Hian that Sarawak’s mortality rate among infants aged five years and below is 14 per cent higher than the national average, with most cases among the Bumiputeras in the rural areas.
Selangau MP Edwin Banta said he would like to appeal for more funds for rural health infrastructure and improvement of clinic facilities.
He also asked for more frequent visits by doctors to rural clinics.
“Apart from furthering the improvement of clinic facilities, the government must also increase the number of nurses there,” the Parti Rakyat Sarawak (PRS) leader said.
“The government must also supplement infant milk on top of breast feeding for babies. Therefore, there should also be more educational visits to longhouses to create awareness of the importance of proper infant nutrients,” said Edwin.
Julau MP Datuk Larry Sng, who is Parti Bangsa Malaysia (PBM) president, pointed out that Sarawak is still very far behind in rural infrastructure compared to the rest of the country.
“We need more funding for clinics and upgraded facilities especially in smaller towns and villages,” he said.
Sng also advised newly-weds, particularly those in the rural areas, to consider family planning in order to provide better education and quality of life for their children’s future.
During the Chinese New Year open house jointly hosted by Dr Sim, Batu Kitang state assemblyman Lo Khere Chiang, Kota Sentosa state assemblyman Wilfred Yap and Kuching South mayor Datuk Wee Hong Seng at the Padungan Community Centre here yesterday, Dr Sim said the Bumiputera communities in the rural areas of the state contribute the most to the high mortality rate when compared to the urban centres.
He attributed the high mortality rate to the lack of health infrastructure and equipment due to insufficient funding by the federal government.
The Public Health, Housing and Local Government Minister also said it was because the state Health Department did not have enough manpower, such as nurses and other medical personnel, and it also needed more funds from the federal government for operating costs.
Sarawak cannot be solely responsible for the overall high mortality rate in Malaysia, he emphasised.