KUALA LUMPUR, May 17 — Heavy rain caused leaks at Hospital Queen Elizabeth in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah, including in an operating theatre during surgery.
Videos posted on a Facebook page showed water dripping heavily from the ceiling in the operating theatre and other parts of the government hospital yesterday.
“Imagine the risk if water drips from the ceiling into an open surgical wound? This is completely unacceptable and shameful,” said the Facebook page titled “Pemerhati Kkm” that described itself as a “group of doctors that stand for truth”.
Posted by Pemerhati Kkm on Thursday, 16 May 2019
“This letter does not mean to run down the state health department which has done a lot for Sabah but rather the state of national affairs when it comes to the ministry of health. Hospitals nationwide have multiple facility failures and issues but we are focusing on newfangled systems and programs while neglecting the fundamentals.”
“Pemerhati Kkm” complained that Sabah’s health budget was insufficient compared to other states.
“How does the ministry expect the state health department to manage Sabah when there just isn’t enough money?
“Contractors and maintenance companies need to be removed and changed as it is obvious that they have failed. We need to be honest and transparent in admitting the faults we have and take prompt action. Overcharging by contractors and companies involved in hospital maintenance needs to stop as it burdens the whole ministry.”
Sabah Health director Dr Christina Rundi confirmed with Malay Mail the authenticity of the videos.
“Yes… water was dripping as seen in the video due to overflow of water into the floor above. Now there is no more water drips and affected areas are being cleaned,” Dr Rundi was quoted saying.
She reportedly said no operations or patients were affected.
