ANGRY LETTER PROBE
KUCHING: The Sarawak Disaster Management Committee (SDMC) will get to the bottom of the issues behind an open letter by an anonymous writer who claimed to be a health care worker at the Sarawak General Hospital (SGH).
SDMC chairman Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas yesterday disclosed that the committee had appointed Utilities Minister Datuk Seri Dr Stephen Rundi Utom and Assistant Minister in the Chief Minister’s Department (Islamic Affairs and Kuching North City Commission) Datuk Dr Abdul Rahman Junaidi to meet SGH specialists to deliberate on the matter.
“We want to get to the bottom of the whole thing because to us, the welfare of the frontliners is very important.
“That is why we will get the two of them (Dr Rundi and Dr Rahman) to find out the details and then later on, they can make a recommendation on how to move forward,” he told reporters here yesterday.
He was responding to an open letter published on an online portal by an anonymous writer who claimed to be a health care worker at SGH. In the letter, the individual expressed his frustrations over SGH’s ‘mismanagement’.
Uggah pointed out that the frontliners had been working very hard and tirelessly serving the people so he urged the people to record appreciation to them.
“Amidst this unprecedented war against Covid-19, there are a lot of issues that need to be resolved. So I hope nobody will create unfounded rumours that can belittle the contributions of the frontliners,” he added.
When asked whether SGH had received such complaints beforehand, Uggah said the hospital had its own ways of communicating and discussing any issues rose.
However, he reminded that it was important for the people to establish the facts of any matter.
“As far as SGH’s performance is concerned, it has been doing very well right from Day 1 until today in helping the state government and formulating policies.
“The frontliners are doing their best and a lot of them are staying away from their families and taking a lot of risks in tackling Covid-19.
“So let us all give them support and encouragement as well as do whatever we can to establish confidence of the public in SGH,” he said.
Uggah added that if there was any truth in the said matter, the state government and the hospital would correct the mistakes made. However, if they were just rumours, then the government would come up with a statement to tell the public so.
“We have to create a mechanism to ensure we would not just dismiss them like that but get deeper into the issues raised. If there are issues, we will address them. If there aren’t, we will tell the public, they were merely rumours,” he explained.
State Health director Dr Chin Zin Hing said the department would try to improve internal communications to ensure the wellbeing of the frontliners.
Meanwhile, SGH director Dr Ngian Hie Ung said the hospital did not receive any formal complaints from the workers so far.
Currently, there are about 700 health care workers at SGH.
