KOTA KINABALU: A total of RM21.5 million has been allocated this year for the improvement of health clinics in Sabah.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said today that the projects included demolishing and rebuilding 21 clinics, as well as repairing 56 dilapidated facilities.
"I have visited some rural clinics, such as the one in Kampung Sayap, Kota Belud, and I have also visited others under construction.
"What is interesting in this series of visits is the new clinics which we are rebuilding have bigger working spaces for our staff members and clients.
"For example, yesterday, at the Takuli clinic (in Beaufort), the original building was a wooden structure with an area of 1,000 square feet. After it was demolished and replaced with a concrete structure, the area has increased to around 2,600 square feet.
"This rural clinic also includes integrated quarters for our staff, specifically designed for single workers, meaning the quarters are built within the clinic grounds," he said at the graduation ceremony of new Health Ministry Institute trainees at the auditorium of the Gaya Teachers' Training Institute.
In Sabah, it is understood that there are around 160 government clinics which were wooden structures.
Lukanisman noted that there was one "sick" project only in Sabah, involving the Tambunan Hospital and its additional block.
"Right now, we are identifying a new site to redevelop the clinics or projects we have planned," he said.
As for Papar Hospital, it was expected to be operational by the second or third quarter of next year after the Public Works Department completes the construction of a balancing tank for water supply.
The establishment of the Sabah Heart Centre, which was announced by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim recently, is in the preliminary phase.
"We have received an allocation approved by the prime minister. This initial work involves identifying Queen Elizabeth 2 hospital to be repurposed as the Sabah Heart Centre.
"The preliminary work will outline the necessary requirements for development and determine the full budget allocation for tendering once the initial phase is completed," Lukanisman said.
Meanwhile, for the 2025 Budget, he said the ministry was waiting for several major initiatives that would form the policy framework to provide the best healthcare services to the public.
They included programmes related to PeKa B40, patient outsourcing and initiatives to secure better healthcare financing without solely relying on government funding.