A 46-YEAR-OLD rural clinic serving hundreds each month is facing ageing facilities and operational problems.
Bukit Begunan assemblyman, Datuk Mong Dagang, said Klinik Kesihatan Tanjong Bijat, which was completed in 1979 and officiated on April 30, 1980, now required serious attention from the relevant ministry.
“The clinic continues to operate despite being more than four decades old, with 11 staff members and one doctor serving an average of 700 to 800 patients every month. It provides services to residents from 67 longhouses and nearby Malay villages around Gran/Stumbin.
“Klinik Kesihatan Tanjong Bijat is increasingly in need of serious attention from the ministry,” he said during his debate on the motion of appreciation for the address by Head of State, Tun Pehin Sri Dr Wan Junaidi Tuanku Jaafar at the State Legislative Assembly (DUN) sitting today.
He pointed out that the clinic did not only provide basic treatment, but also important health services including health checks, non-communicable disease screening, maternal and child health services, elderly health services, mental health services and other community health services.
However, he said several major problems needed immediate attention, beginning with the condition of the clinic building.
“The building is made of wood and not concrete, while its ageing and dilapidated condition, including damage to the main structure, could affect the safety of staff and patients,” he added.
He also raised concern over the staff quarters, which he said were no longer safe or suitable to live in, especially for staff members required to work longer hours or respond to emergency calls.
“The clinic’s damaged security fence could be easily breached, creating safety risks and the possibility of theft,” he lamented.
“Parking space at the clinic was also too limited to accommodate the number of vehicles belonging to patients seeking treatment.”
Another problem, he said, was frequent water supply disruption, which directly affected the clinic’s daily operations.
“What is most worrying is the absence of an ambulance to send patients to Sri Aman Hospital in the event of emergencies or cases requiring further treatment. All clinics should be equipped with an ambulance,” he said.
He urged the relevant ministry to consider upgrading the clinic, including repairing the building, providing an ambulance, improving staff quarters and resolving utility and security issues.
Mong said rural communities should also enjoy comfortable, safe and quality health facilities similar to those available in urban areas.
“The matter should not be taken lightly as it involved public welfare and the quality of healthcare delivery to rural communities, particularly in Tanjong Bijat, Gran/Stumbin and Bakong/Bukit Balau, Lingga,” he reiterated.
Apart from the clinic, he also raised the issue of clean treated water supply in his constituency.
He said several longhouses and villages had yet to receive treated water from the water grid, including Selepong, Gua, Ran, Punggu, longhouses along Jalan Lachau/Kara/Sungai Besai and Sebemban, longhouses along Jalan Bukit Balau, as well as Kampung Bakong, Strau Air, Antik and Sunga.
“These longhouses relied on raw water from gravity-fed water supply systems, but during prolonged dry periods, most of the water sources would dry up, leaving residents without water,” he added.
“While waiting for the proposed water grid, I suggest that the relevant authority allocate funds to repair old pipes used for the gravity-fed water supply system.”
