KUCHING, Oct 13: Parti Keadilan Rakyat (PKR) Sarawak is urging the Ministry of Health (MoH) to increase the amount of manpower and medical equipment to hospitals in Sarawak immediately.
PKR vice president Dr Michael Teo in a statement today urged MoH to deploy more healthcare workers to hospitals in Sarawak as a measure to tackle burn out as well as physical and mental exhaustion among its healthcare workers.
Dr Teo was concerned with the health and wellbeing of healthcare workers after reading the plight of doctors and nurses serving at Sarikei Hospital and Sibu Hospital, who had to endure work fatigue and the effects of burnout as well as dealing with a lack of adequate healthcare facilities and equipment to manage critically ill Covid-19 patients.
He said medical frontliners have been the backbone of the country’s response to the Covid-19 pandemic for nearly 18 months.
Dr Teo, who is also a medical practitioner, believed that the wellbeing of healthcare workers should not be taken lightly and must not be compromised.
“For too long, the public healthcare system in Sarawak has been neglected and underfunded.
“I urge MoH to increase the number of inpatient beds to care for Covid-19 patients and to implement field hospitals in some areas as an emergency measure.
“I also urge the Health Minister (Khairy Jamaluddin) to ensure essential equipment such as oxygen concentrators, ventilators, drip pumps and stands and other equipment for the management of critically ill patients are readily available,” he said.
Apart from that, Dr Teo urged Khairy to solve the issue of contract doctors by providing them job security, clear training and career progression pathways and financial remuneration in line with their colleagues with the same grade and experience.
By solving the issue of contract doctors in Sarawak, Dr Teo believed it will prove that the Malaysian government respects medical frontliners and is committed to strengthen the healthcare system in the country.
On another issue, Dr Teo called on MoH to ensure that the “sick hospital” projects in Sarawak are rectified immediately. — DayakDaily
