The rural clinic that is in dire need of repair.
KOTA KINABALU: There is an urgent need to carry out maintenance works on the Klinik Desa Tiulon in Sook as some of the damaged parts pose a safety hazard to staff and patients.
Sook assemblyman Datuk Ellron Angin said parts of the 16-year-old health facility’s roof were looking unstable.
The Youth and Sports Minister who visited the rural clinic, expressed his concern over the safety risk of staff and patients there.
In view of this, Ellron urged the Health Ministry to take immediate action to repair the damaged roof as well as other areas of the building that was constructed in 2005.
“Repair work must be conducted as soon as possible as the clinic is an important infrastructure to the village as the nearest medical facility, the Klinik Sook, is located far away in the town,” he said.
The situation is made worse by the unsealed main road in the village which gets very dusty during dry season.
“This resulted in dust pollution in the clinic resulting in the spaces there needing to be cleaned repeatedly to ensure that the cleanliness of the health facility is not compromised,” he lamented.
He disclosed that the sealing of the 26-kilometre main road to Kampung Kabuan has yet to be implemented due to financial constraints.
“If the project is to commence, it is better for it to be done in phases,” said Ellron.
Meanwhile, a community nurse based at the health clinic identified only as Shafiza, expressed hope that the Health Ministry will send a representative to the village to personally see the damages, which is threatening the safety of the staff and local community.
Shafiza also appealed to the minister to consider increasing staff at the clinic in accordance with the population increase in the area.
It was learnt that the rural clinic is an important health facility for several villages in the area as not many are able to venture out of their villages due to several factors including no transport and bad road conditions.