PAITAN: Villagers from Kampung Matanggal here, can now breathe a sigh a relief after a much needed health clinic finally opened its doors.
The one-storey health clinic was constructed on a five-acre land, which was previously part of an oil palm plantation. The clinic consists consultation rooms and a small ward.
Matanggal village community management council (MPKK) chief Jason Will, 34, said the new development was highly anticipated by the villagers as previously they had to travel to neighbouring districts to get health services.
Initially, the clinic was to be constructed on a different land belonging to a former village chief, but the State Health Department said the plot was not suitable.
"So, I donated five-acres of my plantation plot and the department said it was good for the clinic. We really need a health clinic and the villagers actually 'bergotong-royong' (worked together) to set it up according to requirements since last year," said Jason when contacted, today.
"Now, we can all go to the clinic. Health workers come once a week as the clinic operates every Tuesday, for the time being. It started operating last week from morning until 4.30pm," he added.
He said they were also helping to build staff quarters just next to the clinic and hope the construction would be completed before end of the year, depending on the Covid-19 situation.
The quarters is also being built within Jason's five-acre land.
Paitan is a coastal sub-district, which is about 240km or four-hour drive away from Kota Kinabalu. It neighbours Beluran, Ranau, Pitas, Telupid, and Kota Marudu districts.
While Paitan is accessible after road connecting the districts were constructed in 2004, many villages including Matanggal remained unreachable by small vehicles.
It is home to diverse ethnic groups with Sungai people forming the majority. Other groups are the Dusun, Rungus, and Bajau.
Like other villages, far-flung Matanggal is surrounded by oil palm plantations, which have become a source of income to villagers like Jason.
The village recently obtained solar electricity and internet access. A primary school was also built in 2013 to provide village children with access to early education.
Speaking of his life experience, Jason remembered he had to go Kota Marudu, about 123km away from Paitan, just to go to school.
"Life was difficult. Our parents did their best to provide us with education but I only completed Primary Six as they had to bring me home due to financial constraints. At 13, I had to work and helped my parents by planting crops.
"At 15, I worked at oil palm estates, jumping from one company to another. With my working experience, I joined my cousins and ventured to Kuala Lumpur for better opportunities. There, I took up a job as an electronic factory operator and car window repair worker," he said.
He stayed in Kuala Lumpur for several years before deciding to return home in 2007. Back then, he noticed Matanggal villagers had started venturing into opening their own plot of oil palm plantations.
Not wanting to be left behind, Jason who is the second child of nine siblings opened a plantation on his land and slowly expanded it to 20-acres, from which he gave away five for the village health clinic.
He noted villagers could fetch between RM1,000 to over RM2,000 a month selling their oil palm fruits to companies, adding he too managed a five-acre rubber plantation.
Since returning home and having been exposed to the world outside his comfort zone, Jason expanded his network to that of non-governmental organisations (NGO), politicians, philanthropists, and individuals.
He was made community leader and has been the MPKK chief for over a year now.
During the conditional movement control order, he helped Osimal, a local NGO and Sabah's mobile court unit to distribute food aid to villagers in need.