Who benefits from RM100 mil private hospital?

Tony Thien | May 22, 09 12:49pm

Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) has raised questions on the real motive of the state government's plan to convert an existing building into a private hospital for RM100 million.

"Is this private hospital upon completion going to provide free medical treatment to the people of Sabah?

"If not, how could the state government simply call on all Sabahans to rejoice and acknowledge it as ‘the biggest harvest this year'," Chong Pit Fah (bottom), Sapp information chief said in a statement to Malaysiakini today.

The state government has proposed to convert the abandoned Wisma Khidmat in Kota Kinabalu into a private hospital at a cost of about RM100 million.

In whose interest?

While it welcomes the private sector to build more private hospitals, the opposition was, however, critical of this particular project, stating that the proposed conversion site was not a good idea as the building and location are not suitable for a medical setup.

On the flip side, the opposition came short to pointing fingers at the authority for misuse of power for personal financial gains due to the fact that Wisma Khidmat is partly-owned by Sabah Credit Corporation (SCC), a government-linked company, and the remaining interest by private parties.

Chong's statement came in response to Barisan Nasional (BN) component Parti Bersatu Sabah's (PBS) suggestion that the state government's latest decision to convert Wisma Khidmat into a private hospital as "the best ‘Kaamatan' gift to the people of Sabah" as outrageous and a gross insult to Sabahans.

Kaamatan is a harvest festival of the Kadazandusuns in Sabah.

Instead of endorsing the proposed private hospital project using the state's coffers, Chong suggested that the Federal government should allocate more funds to improve the state's public healthcare.

More Fed funds for public healthcare

"He should also realise that healthcare is under the purview of the Federal government as stipulated in the 20-point agreement and also due to the fact that a majority of Sabahans still could not afford to seek treatment at private hospitals," Chong pointed out.

The 20-point agreement is an agreement made between Sabah and the Federal government before the formation of Malaysia in 16 September 1963.

"Everyone knows that the building is not suitable for a hospital as it was not designed for such a purpose," Chong said, adding that it may not meet the Ministry of Health's (MoH) requirements for a hospital.

The safety of the building is also questionable, Chong said, as it had been abandoned for years and was built using sea sand. He cautioned that a major portion of the building structure could have been badly corroded.

He noted that the state government currently still has 18 percent stake in the Sabah Medical Centre (SMC), a private medical centre.

"Hence, what's the justification and rationale behind undertaking another private hospital project? Is there something that we do not know that the state government is not telling us?" he asked.

"Let's examine who are actually going to benefit from this project. Is it the people of Sabah at large, or those who get to undertake the project?"

'Polish shoes of political master'

PBS information chief Johnny Mositun had earlier termed the private hospital as "the best ‘Kaamatan' gift" to the people. He also had said that the new hospital would provide opportunities for local doctors to contribute to the well-being of the state and its people.

"He (Mositun) should perhaps conduct a serious soul-searching for making such an outrageous proclamation to endorse the state government's plan. It seems that he's trying to polish the shoes of his political master," said Chong, who is also Sapp Kepayan central liaison committee chairperson.

"Perhaps he should inform the people of Sabah whether this is just his personal view or that of his party," added Chong.

Meanwhile, Kota Kinabalu DAP member of Parliament Hiew King Chew welcomed the private hospital initiative. He said it would meet the medical needs of the people in Kota Kinabalu as the city is short of good private medical services.