Lukanisman: MOH looking into rebuilding or relocating Jalan Oya Health Clinic

SIBU (Jan 16): The Ministry of Health (MOH) is looking into possibly rebuilding or relocating the Jalan Oya Health Clinic, said Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni.

He said these were among the proposals by the Sibu Health Office, and will be a long-term plan to address issues faced by the clinic.

“The Public Works Department has inspected the clinic’s building, and the structure can be said to be quite unsafe. I can also see there are a few cracks but operations are still ongoing.

“At the moment, I can also see the Jalan Oya Health Clinic is coping with the increased number of patients with the average capacity of 1,000 patients (per day) and with this, there is definitely a need to upgrade this clinic to at least a Type 2 health clinic,” he told reporters during his visit to the clinic today.

According to him, rebuilding or relocation are among the few suggestions in addressing problems at the Jalan Oya Health Clinic, as he believes there is a need to have a comprehensive clinic that has all the required resources.

He added he would also bring these suggestions to the state health department.

“Since the Jalan Oya Health Clinic is situated right in the middle of Sibu town, we cannot deny Sibu is developing rapidly and despite having to cater to the needs of so many patients, they can still provide good services,” he said.

As for the approved land in Teku for the purpose of building a health clinic, he said it is not suitable as a relocation site for the Jalan Oya Health Clinic.

“Teku is one of the identified areas for relocation but we cannot just simply relocate it to Teku due to the distance. We have a formula to count the distance and we do not want to create any surprise or pressure if we simply relocate the clinic to Teku,” he said, pointing out there were a few more better options but that would need cooperation with the Finance Ministry.

He said a proper plan is needed – for example, if the government decides to rebuild the clinic there should be a temporary venue so the clinic is able to continue its operations.

On the parking issue, he said it is a national issue but the ministry will work with the relevant ministry to resolve it.

Meanwhile, Deputy Minister of Public Health, Housing and Local Government Datuk Michael Tiang said the Public Works Department had studied the possibility of expanding the road leading to Sibu Hospital to resolve traffic issues.

Also present were Bukit Assek assemblyman Joseph Chieng, Sibu Health Officer Dr Teh Jo Hun and Sibu Hospital director Dr Nanthakumar Thirunavukkarasu.