Deputy Premier reviews Bintulu Health Clinic to improve services, facilities

BINTULU (Feb 4): Deputy Premier Datuk Amar Prof Dr Sim Kui Hian paid an official visit to the Bintulu Health Clinic here on Tuesday to review its facilities, infrastructure, medical equipment and delivery of primary healthcare services.

The visit, which took place from 2pm to 4pm, aimed to identify areas requiring improvement to further enhance healthcare services for the public.

During the visit, Dr Sim, who is Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government, was briefed on operations at several key units, including the Wellness Clinic, Diabetes Mellitus Clinic, Radiology Unit (ultra-portable X-ray) and the Molecular Laboratory, followed by a discussion session.

According to the Bintulu Divisional Health Office, one of the key issues raised was the operational constraint involving the ultra-portable X-ray machine, which is subject to legal requirements under the Atomic Energy Licensing Act.

“Current regulations limit its use to qualified radiographers, prompting a proposal for selected paramedic staff to undergo training and credentialing to expand its utilisation,” it said in a statement.

The optimisation of the Bintulu Health Clinic’s Molecular Laboratory was also discussed, particularly challenges related to funding and manpower, as well as the need to upgrade the facility into a Public Health Laboratory (PHL) for Bintulu.

In addition, the establishment of a Bintulu Divisional Drug Store was proposed to improve the efficiency of drug supply management, budget planning and logistics.

Overall, the visit provided an opportunity for the Bintulu Divisional Health Office to convey on-the-ground challenges directly to the state leadership.

Meanwhile, Dr Sim suggested that impact studies on the operation of the ultra-portable X-ray machine and the molecular laboratory be strengthened to support policy and legislative considerations.

He added that the issues raised would be brought forward for further discussion at relevant platforms, including the Malaysia Agreement 1963 (MA63) meeting.