Govt efforts to improve hospital lauded

Residents in the state have expressed relief that the unity government is working to resolve numerous issues at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital.

It was reported that Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced a RM500 million allocation for the first phase of infrastructure development, covering a new block and a multi-level car park.

Civil servant Salmah Yunos, 49, who has been diagnosed with hypertension, said she usually has to wait for half an hour to find a parking spot.

She said on several occasions, she had to park near shop lots about a kilometre away and walk to the hospital.

“So, when the prime minister announced the allocation, I was relieved. People have been waiting a long time for this good news.”

Petrol station supervisor Abdul Rashid Hamzah, 43, who regularly takes his diabetic mother for treatment at the hospital, expressed hope that the government would keep up with its upgrading efforts.

“We know government hospitals treat large volumes of patients, so the new block could reduce overcrowding. The healthcare sector also needs to keep up with the nation’s fast paced development, especially in Johor, which is becoming more advanced.”

M. Shobana, 54, who frequents the hospital for regular check-ups since her diabetes diagnosis three years ago, said she was grateful that Anwar and Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi are attending to the people’s hardship.

“This is a great effort to ease the burden of people like me who depend on government hospitals.”

According to the hospital website, it was built in 1938 to replace the district hospital established in 1882. It is currently one of the busiest hospitals in the nation, handling an estimated 2,100 outpatients and 460 emergency patients daily. – Bernama