SIBU, Jan 16: The Jalan Oya Polyclinic will not be relocated to Teku as it is far from the town centre.
In confirming this today, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said Teku is north of the town and people may find it difficult to visit the polyclinic if it is relocated there.
“We can’t relocate the polyclinic there due to the distance as it is in north Sibu. The land is for future plans. What we need to do now is to address the (Jalan) Oya Polyclinic where we need the Finance Ministry’s approval for allocation,” he said when visiting the polyclinic.
Lukanisman said the federal government could either build a new polyclinic or relocate the existing one to solve the problems faced by the Oya polyclinic.
“There are few options suggested by Dr Teh Jo Hun (Sibu Health Department head). I will bring these options to the Sarawak Health Department to study,” he said.
Lukanisman said there has been an urgent need to look into these options as the Jalan Oya Polyclinic which was built more than three decades ago has been declared as unsafe for use by Public Works Department (JKR).
“We also acknowledge that due to the increasing population of the town, the polyclinic can no longer accommodate the increasing number of visitors which currently stand at 1,000 per day.
“The number of visitors has shot up as people are more health conscious especially due to the Covid-19 pandemic,” he said.
Earlier in the morning, he visited Sibu Hospital to inspect a leaking ceiling and to witness the installation of an MRI machine costing RM3 million which was contributed by Sarawak Heart Foundation.
Accompanying him were Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang and Bukit Assek assemblyman Joseph Chieng. — DayakDaily
