KUANTAN: Introducing a digital appointment platform and building a multi-storey carpark are among the measures taken to end the long-standing parking problems at Sultan Haji Ahmad Shah Hospital (Hoshas) in Temerloh.
Pahang Public Works, Transport and Health Committee chairman Razali Kassim said limited parking spaces at Hoshas were nothing new, as all hospitals with specialist clinics experienced similar predicaments.
He said parking congestion often occurred between Monday and Friday, from 8am to 12pm, when the specialist clinics operated.
"Hoshas will introduce a digital appointment method through the hospital's application to make it easier for patients and their family members to confirm their visits to the specialist clinics without the need to arrive at the premises early in the morning or wait long hours.
"To curb congestion in the parking area, patients visiting the specialist clinics will only be allowed to register 30 minutes before their appointments. This will allow patients enough time to plan their trip to the hospital.
"Hoshas has adopted a policy where hospital staff are not allowed to park their vehicles in the parking spaces in front of the specialist clinics until 2pm. The staff have been instructed to park in the parking area catering for 120 vehicles behind the hospital complex," he said at the Pahang State Legislative Assembly sitting at Wisma Sri Pahang here today.
Razali was replying to a question from Hassanuddin Salim (Pas-Kuala Semantan) on the government's efforts to bring an end to the vehicle congestion at Hoshas, especially during peak hours.
Razali said as part of the long term measures for Hoshas, the state Health Department would build a new women's and children's block in an area measuring 0.9ha within the hospital compound.
"The additional block will include the construction of a multi-storey carpark offering 450 parking spaces. An application for the new block will be done under the 13th Malaysia Plan," he said, adding that Hoshas now offered 678 parking lots.