Arrangements made to ensure public healthcare services continuity over public holiday
SIBU: Public health facilities in the state have taken appropriate action and made arrangements concerning operational and patients’ appointments with today being a public holiday.
In this regard, those who have medical appointments today and are at a loss as to whether or not specialist clinics at state hospitals are open need not worry, as many will be despite it being a public holiday. The exceptions will be K1M ( 1Malaysia Clinics) and health clinics at UTCs, which will be closed.
State health director Dr Jamilah Hashim was asked if appointments for patients visiting hospitals and polyclinics state-wide would be retimed or rescheduled, including for individuals collecting their medication as today is a public holiday.
“Today (Sept 4) was declared as a public holiday by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak. For that, most of our facilities (hospital, clinic, pharmacy and dental) will need to take appropriate action and arrangement for their operations and patient appointment according to their own capabilities and resources,” she said in a press statement to The Borneo Post on Saturday.
On the major specialist hospitals – Sarawak General Hospital (SGH), at Sibu, Miri and Bintulu hospitals— she said for SGH, most of the specialist clinics will open as usual and a few that will be closed have already contacted their patients and given them a new appointment date. For the OPD ( outpatient department) pharmacy, the opening hours will be from 7.30am until 10pm.
Dr Jamilah disclosed that likewise, Sibu Hospital will see most of its specialist clinics open as usual and a few that will be closed have already contacted their patients to give them a new appointment date. For the ETD ( Emergency and Trauma) pharmacy, opening hours will be from 8am until 5pm while the OPD hours will be extended from 3pm until 10 pm.
As for Miri Hospital , the specialist clinic and elective surgery will function as usual, she added.
For Bintulu Hospital , the Medical Out Patient Department ( MOPD) will function as usual. The hospital’s pharmacy opening hours will be from 8 am until 5pm, and might be extended to 7pm if the MOPD function is still not finished. As for Bintulu Hospital’s ophthalmology clinic, patients have been contacted and given new appointments but should the patient still come, they will be seen by the Medical Officer ( MO) or specialist on call, according to Dr Jamilah.
Likewise, pat ients of the gynaecology clinic at Bintulu Hospital have also been given new appointments. However, should the patients still come, they will be seen by the MO on call.
As for the minor specialist hospitals in Serian, Sri Aman, Sarikei, Kapit and Limbang, she said for Serian Hospital, the clinic will be open half day and afternoon patients will be attended to by staff on call.
In Sri Aman Hospital, the specialist clinic will open as usual. The specialist clinics and elective surgery in Sarikei and Kapit hospitals too are open as usual.
As for Limbang Hospital, the OPD will be closed but the visiting specialist clinic will be open as scheduled. For non- specialist hospitals in Bau, Lundu, Simunjan, Betong, Saratok, Kanowit, Dalat, Daro, Mukah, Marudi and Lawas, she said all of hospitals will open half day and patients that come in the afternoon will be attended to by staff on call.
As for Sarawak Heart Centre or ‘ Pusat Jantung Sarawak’ ( PJS), Sentosa Hospital and Rajah Brooke Memorial Hospital ( RCBM), she said PJS’ cardiac clinic and day care centre will be open as usual.
However, INR ( International Normalised Ratio) Clinic will be postponed to Tuesday and Wednesday. The PJS pharmacy opening hours will be from 8am until 1pm. She said for Sentosa Hospital, the clinic will be open as usual but if patients did not turn up, they will be given new appointment dates.
On the RCBM Hospital, the clinic too wil l be closed and new appointments will be given to the respective patients, she pointed out. Dr Jamilah said on the other hand for dental clinics, all affected patients will be called on Tuesday to reschedule their appointments.
“All health clinics will remain closed including K1M and health clinics at Urban Transformation Centres ( UTCs) as all UTCs’ operations are closed from Aug 31 till Sept 4. For emergency cases in rural clinics, there will be staff on standby. Flying Doctor Services will still be running as scheduled,” Dr Jamilah said.