SIBU: The Sibu Hospital urgently needs a radiotherapy unit and a cardiac unit as heart patients cannot wait to be transferred to the Sarawak Heart Centre for surgery, said Oscar Ling Chai Yew.
“The cardiac unit in Sibu Hospital should be set up to provide essential and emergency services to the heart patients,” the Sibu MP said.
Ling was speaking at a press conference after the launching of the second phase of an additional 118 parking bays at Sibu Hospital today.
He pointed out that radiotherapy services also faced the same issue as the number of cancer patients is increasing.
“For treatment, they need to travel to Kuching as Sibu did not offer such services.
“The treatment usually takes around one week and this will put a burden on the patients and their families,” he said.
Ling hoped the federal government’s plan to upgrade Sibu and Miri Hospital to regional status would include radiotherapy and cardiac services at the hospital.
Last July, Deputy Minister of Health Lukanisman Awang Sauni had during his visit to the Sibu Hospital said that the proposal to upgrade two government hospitals, namely the Sibu and Miri hospitals, to regional hospitals was part of the Sarawak government’s agenda under the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63).
He said that the government will present the proposal to the Ministry of Health (MoH) through the MA63 Committee.
The move is to provide better services to the people in the northern and central zones.
He said Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim had to assess the ‘wish list’ of the Sarawak government.
