PUTATAN: The Health Ministry should consider building a health clinic at Gaya Island water village off here, to provide healthcare to about 5,000 villagers.
Putatan Member of Parliament (MP) Awang Husaini Sahari said the absence of clinic on the island has made it difficult for water villagers to get immediate medical care as they need to take a boat to the city to seek healthcare services.
“At the moment, there is no health facility built on the island even when the population has reached about 5,000 people. We hope the Health Ministry will look into the need to build a health clinic (on Gaya Island).
“I am sure with the development of a health clinic on the island, it will increase the health quality of the Gaya island people. At the same time, health promotion can be continuously carried out throughout the island,” the MP said in a statement, today.
Located within the Putatan parliamentary constituency, Gaya Island is under the Tanjung Aru state constituency. The administration of the local authority is within Kota Kinabalu City Hall (DBKK).
Awang Husaini said the health ministry should also give attention to the needs to expand and upgrade the Putatan Health Clinic, considering the existing facilities are not able to accommodate the growing number of patients.
He also pointed out the need to have more People’s Housing Project (PPR) in his constituency to accommodate those who have yet to own a home, adding that two development projects are affecting the people as their houses had to be demolished to give way for the projects.
The projects are Pan Borneo Highway (involving Putatan-Penampang road) and Sungai Putatan expansion.
“Affected villagers are forced to move out and we hope the construction of PPR will be given the much-needed attention. Although, there are already 1,000 PPR units in the district but it is not enough to accommodate the people’s need,” said Awang Husaini.