Aset kesihatan uzur risiko keselamatan, bukan sekadar isu peruntukan

Kuala Lumpur: A Malaysian Parliament member has emphasized that critical healthcare assets with potential implications for patient safety and service continuity must be prioritized over infrastructure issues. Dr. Halimah Ali (PN-Kapar) argued that asset replacement should be based on risk levels, with critical assets that impact patient safety and service continuity given top priority before any failure occurs.

"The approach must change from fixing the broken first, then patching it over to a risk-based asset replacement," she stated in the House of Representatives. She also pointed out that the Health Select Committee's report on a recent visit to Sabah showed a faster growth in demand for healthcare services in the region compared to the existing system's capacity.

"The Luyang Health Clinic, for example, has recorded 253,932 visits in 2025, an increase of approximately 27.6% compared to 199,043 in 2021. Have the clinic's capacity, number of doctors, nurses, treatment rooms, and supporting facilities kept pace with this growth? If not, we are actually managing a crisis, not strengthening the healthcare system," she noted.

Dr. Halimah highlighted that the Ministry of Health must review the capacity and upgrade basic health facilities based on real demand and service requirements, not just the original capacity when the clinics were built. She also stressed that the shortage of human resources cannot be solved merely by building more buildings. "In Sabah, the issue is not just about how many vacancies have been announced, but how many are filled, how many stay, and how many have the required expertise," she added.

According to her, issues of job vacancies, training expertise, regional constraints, and human resource allowances need to be addressed comprehensively to ensure that new facilities have sufficient manpower.