Long Lama Clinic to move as landslip worsens
MIRI: The Long Lama Clinic could be closed and shifted to a temporary location in the town this week due to the worsening landslip near its entrance.
Telang Usan District Officer Baru Tai said a meeting attended by Baram MP Anyi Ngau two days ago had proposed that the clinic be shifted to the town’s community hall on Saturday.
The meeting was also attended by representatives of the Fire and Rescue Department ( Bomba), Public Works Department ( PWD), and Health Department, Baru said when contacted.
“We agreed that it is best to close the clinic and shift the operation to the Long Lama Community Hall. The evacuation is proposed on July 11, and once the State Health
Department gives its approval, we will proceed,” he said.
The entrance to the clinic, which is situated on a hill by a river, has been sealed off after the landslip started about two weeks ago. Access into the building is now through the rear.
On July 5, the Marudi Fire and Rescue Department had identified and marked 11 locations of cracked ground and land movement in the area including outside the clinic. The investigation found that the cracks were between 0.97 cm to 3cm.
Telang Usan assemblyman Dennis Ngau, when contacted, agreed that the clinic should be closed.
“Based on investigations by Bomba and PWD, the situation at the slope is deteriorating. Land movement is still happening due to the persisting rain. It seems that the crack in the ground is increasing and there is no sign of stopping.
“While part of the clinic’s operation is not affected, the only way to prevent the situation from getting worse is to reduce the weight and the impact on the slope,” said Dennis.
Dennis further revealed that Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Amar Douglas Uggah Embas, who is the state disaster management committee chairman, would likely visit the site of the clinic and its temporary location this weekend.
Currently, there are 39 staff including doctors, nurses, assistant medical officers, pharmacists, rehabilitation therapists, dietitian, clinic assistants, and laboratory technicians.
The clinic caters to nearly 100 patients a day.
If the clinic in Long Lama is closed, the local folk would have to fork out up to RM100 to travel some 70km to the closest clinic in Beluru.
We agreed that it is best to close the clinic and shift the operation to the Long Lama Community Hall. The evacuation is proposed on July 11, and once the State Health Department gives its approval, we will proceed. Baru Tai