Sapp: BN govt insensitive to QEH debacle

Evacuation of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) last December has deprived the people of Kota Kinabalu of easy access to a fully functional general hospital.

"They are also likely to be deprived of the basic, yet crucial need for care from family members and friends, should they require admission to hospital," said Sabah Progressive Party (Sapp) information chief Chong Pit Fah.

QEH patients were evacuated in stages late last year pending repairs to part of the premises.

Chong cited the case of Liew Kon Fatt, 44, of Telipok who lost a leg in a workplace accident last year. It has left him paralysed from the waist down.

Initially, he was admitted to QEH for physiotherapy and received regular visits from family members and friends, which he considered a significant morale booster.

Chong said today: "Unfortunately, such a visit is now a luxury for Liew after he was transferred from QEH (left) last September to the Beaufort District Hospital."

Liew's family and friends can no longer visit him regularly, as it would take them half a day to travel from Kota Kinabalu to Beaufort.

Liew was transferred because there were no other government-run hospitals or clinics in Kota Kinabalu with physiotherapy facilities.

To make matters worse, Liew has been diagnosed with a condition that requires surgery.

No back-up power supply

Liew's plight came to light when a Sapp delegation led by its president Yong Teck Lee (right) visited him. Also present were vice-president Chin Hon Kiong, Rashid Gador, Thomas Chong and Jaafar Ismail, as well as several Beaufort Zone representatives.

The visit was prompted by complaints from members of the public who attended a religious function in Weston, last Sunday. It was learnt that there were many patients from Kota Kinabalu had been transferred to the Beaufort District Hospital.

Saddened by Liew’s plight, Chong questioned both the federal and state governments as to when residents of Kota Kinabalu can expect access to a fully-equipped and functional general hospital.

"What will happen to patients in this transition period? It is really sad to learn that they are being deprived of such a basic need as care and comfort from family members."

Chong also noted that the remaining blocks of QEH which are still functioning are in bad shape. To make matters worse, there is no generator for back-up supply in the event of a power failure.

He described the ongoing QEH debacle as a reflection of gross callousness on the part of the Barisan Nasional-led government.

Sabahans outraged

Chong maintained his stand against the proposed conversion of Wisma Khidmat to a general hospital to replace QEH, reiterating that it is a bad idea.

He urged the Sabah government not to attempt to 'bail out' the long-abandoned building at the expense of QEH patients in particular and the people of Sabah in general.

Noting that the proposal has become the talk of the town after it was announced recently, Chong pleaded with state cabinet members to promptly advise Chief Minister Musa Aman (left) to immediately retract the ill-conceived proposal.

Chong also expressed regret that, among the scores of grand projects outlined in the two economic stimulus packages, none are meant to resolve the 'healthcare crisis' currently affecting the people of Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

He claimed that the people are outraged to see the federal government having no qualms about spending hundreds of millions of ringgit in taxpayers’ money to purchase submarines and compensate highway toll concessionaires, but not to build a much-needed hospital to save lives.