‘Improve Kapit healthcare to cater to growing demand’
Since becoming MP in 2013, I have spoken on the urgent need to enhance the quality of healthcare in rural areas during each Parliament session. I am saddened that all these years, rural health is at a very basic level.
KAPIT: Hulu Rajang MP Datuk Wilson Ugak feels that more needs to be done to improve healthcare services and basic amenities in rural areas.
He says although Budget 2018 is ‘ comprehensive, systematic and inclusive’, rural healthcare development, particularly in his constituency and also Kapit, did not appear to be prioritised.
“Since becoming MP in 2013, I have spoken on the urgent need to enhance the quality of healthcare in rural areas during each Parliament session. I am saddened that all these years, rural health is at a very basic level.
“Even in Budget 2018, the healthcare focus seems to be on Peninsular Malaysia,” Ugak told The Borneo Post when interviewed recently on his take on the national budget.
“Kapit needs a new hospital
Datuk Wilson Ugak, Hulu Rajang MP
to cater to the demand of its growing population. Healthcare services should be upgraded in tandem with increased demand,” he added, pointing out that Kapit Hospital only has 134 beds and is currently short of specialist services.
He also pointed out that there was an urgent need to increase the number of dialysis machines at Kapit Hospital, Song Polyclinic, Belaga Polyclinic and Sungai Asap Polyclinic due to the increasing number of patients.
Ugak also called upon the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education to recruit and train more Sarawakian teachers to be placed in rural schools, as opposed to posting teachers from Peninsular Malaysia who will eventually be transferred back.
“I am saddened there are teachers from Peninsular Malaysia who are posted to rural schools. After one or two years, they are transferred back. This is bad for the students.
“I urged the Ministry of Education and Ministry of Higher Education to recruit more locals to train as teachers.
“Upon graduation, post them to their hometowns to teach. Because they have a sense of belonging and understand local culture and tradition, they will stay for a long period of time.
“This will also help the state to achieve its goal of 90:10 ratio between local and peninsula teachers,” he said.