First City in the World Without General Hospital

KOTA KINABALU, April 30, 2009: Kota Kinabalu is the only city in the world without a general hospital, a basic requirement for such status, said Chong Pit Fah, Sabah Progressive Party (SAPP) Information Chief.

He said the State Capital's people are deprived of the basic necessary health care services after the Health Ministry had on last year declared that the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) unsafe forcing patients to evacuate.

He was referring to the ongoing crisis plaguing QEH, the general hospital for Kota Kinabalu which is also a referral hospital for the state. Its patients were evacuated and relocated to the other district hospitals as well as the Sabah Medical Centre (SMC) last November, after its Tower Block was declared unsafe.

"It has been 176 days now since the QEH was declared unsafe and its patients relocated to the other district hospitals and yet the Government, both at the Federal and State levels still couldn't come out with any effective-and-comprehensive solution to the problem, while the patients continue to suffer as well as putting their lives in danger.

"This unnecessary inconveniences has caused long waiting lists, increasing suffering of patients awaiting much needed surgeries," he lamented this at the unveiling of the billboard and counter of the QEH crisis at SAPP headquarters, in Bornion Centre, Luyang here today.

He also noted that a majority of the QEH patients were those from the lower income group and can't afford to undergo treatment in private medical institutions or overseas.

He thus described the government's failure to resolve the QEH crisis as being grossly unfair and cruel to the rakyat.

Where is the quarantine facility?

Chong also questioned what is the relevant authorities going to do in the event that Sabah is hit by the swine flu outbreak that is currently causing great havoc in many countries including Mexico , United States of America , New Zealand , Canada , Spain and United Kingdom . "Where is our quarantine facility and crisis response centre now following the decanting of the QEH?" he asked.

He also reiterated that there's no excuse for the government not to be able to resolve the problem quickly when it could afford to spend hundreds of millions of taxpayers' money to carry out the gas pipeline project in Kimanis, Papar to channel our natural gas in Sabah to Bintulu for processing and to be exported later, besides having no problem in paying the highway concessionaires multi-million ringgit in damages when the Federal government deferred the introduction of new toll rates.

Touching on the "QEH Crisis billboard and counter", Chong explained that it was aimed chiefly to serve as a terse reminder to the Government and leaders in the state over the plight of Kota Kinabalu folks and the people of Sabah, as a whole, over the pressing issue and the need to resolve it without any further delay. The "Days" counter will be updated at noon each day to record the number of days that Kota Kinabalu City people have been deprived a general hospital. "The billboard also aims to remind the people of the dire consequence that they might face should they fall sick or become seriously ill," he added.

He reminded that the longer it takes for the Government to come up with an effective solution to the QEH crisis it would incur more cost to the Government, citing the recent revelation by the Chief Minister Datuk Seri Musa Hj Aman that it was estimated to cost the Government a whopping RM70 million a year, just to relocate and 'outsource' the QEH patients, as a short-term measure to deal with the crisis.

On the long-term measure to resolve the issue as mentioned by the Chief Minister, that is to proceed with the construction of the 'twin towers' at the premises of QEH under the 10th Malaysia Plan (2011 – 2015), to provide for 661 beds, Chong contended that it is just too slow a solution to deal with the pressing situation facing the QEH patients.

"The Chief Minister also failed to mention whether such a plan would take place at the beginning or the end of the 10th Malaysia Plan, as well as the actual time needed to complete the 'twin towers'," he added.

He stressed that by right, the construction of the 'twin towers' should be carried out as soon as possible, in order to resolve the ongoing healthcare crisis facing the residents of Kota Kinabalu and the state as a whole .