KAJANG, Oct 12 — Bangi MP Syahredzan Johan has allocated RM343,000 from his Member of Parliament allocations to upgrade Klinik Kesihatan Kajang’s emergency department (ED).
This funding for the public health clinic comprises about 17 per cent of the Pakatan Harapan (PH) lawmaker’s RM2 million Projek Mesra Rakyat fund — an allocation given to MPs to fund infrastructural developments in their constituencies.
Syahredzan said he chose this approach to expedite the clinic’s upgrade, bypassing the lengthy bureaucratic process typically associated with health clinic expansions and upgrades through the Ministry of Health (MOH).
“I think certainly, MOH — if you look at the budget — they have one of the biggest budgets for any ministry. And it has been the case for several years already,” Syahredzan told CodeBlue in an interview at his Kajang office last September 29.
The MOH received RM36.3 billion in Budget 2023. Only 13 per cent, or RM4.8 billion, was allocated for development, with most of the funding going to operating expenses.
“But even with this budget, this allocation is not enough. When you’re talking about the needs, the need to subsidise the cost, the need to build new hospitals and clinics and so on and so forth,” said the government backbencher from the DAP.
“So, if we were to wait for MOH to put it into their plans in order to upgrade it (the clinic’s ED), we don’t know how long that will take.”
In February, the first-term MP met with the district health office at the Hulu Langat district health office to discuss various issues, including clinics in the Bangi parliamentary constituency. Following this, he visited Klinik Kesihatan Kajang in April.
Klinik Kesihatan Kajang – which resembles a miniature hospital and sits next to Jalan Semenyih – currently struggles to accommodate an influx of new patients from surrounding areas, due to the temporary closure of a nearby clinic for renovations.
This situation led to overcrowding in the Kajang public health clinic, with up to 1,000 patients seen on busy days. Patients who go to the clinic need to wait outside the clinic’s ED, while medical officers and nurses work in a small area with beds lined up next to each other.
“I think in terms of health care workers, it (the upgrade) would mean that they have a bigger space for the emergency treatments. Whereas before this, you would have the beds very close to each other, not enough room and things like that. You would be treating one patient with asthma or something like that [in] one corner and just beside him would be someone treating a wound.
“So, it is very small, and I would say that if you get too many people in there, it can be quite claustrophobic as well. With this upgrade, we hope that it would mean that there is enough space for everyone being treated in the emergency room. And that would mean that patients are better taken care of, and they’re more comfortable when receiving treatment.
“For health care workers, it would also mean that they’d have a more comfortable working environment instead of having to squeeze into a small room, especially on busy days,” Syahredzan said.
Syahredzan’s decision to expand Klinik Kesihatan Kajang’s ED was based on a review of the estimated project cost provided by the Selangor state health department.
As MP allocations are limited, Syahredzan said his team needed to prioritise projects that benefit a large cross-section of Bangi residents.
“But we also decided that if we were to upgrade Klinik Kesihatan Kajang, it would have a larger impact on the people around the area because of the fact that everyone needs to go to the clinic. It essentially doesn’t matter whether you’re Malay, Chinese, Indian, you would still need to go to the clinic.
“So if you have a better-equipped clinic, I think that would be beneficial to all. So, that is why when we made the decision, it’s actually our biggest allocation for one particular project. In other words, the two million that I mentioned, this is the biggest chunk of the funds.”
The allocated RM343,000 is intended solely for building expansion and electrical wiring, with the MOH responsible for project execution and the state as financier of the project, said Syahredzan. Any delays or additional costs will be borne by the MOH.
When asked whether there was a need to increase medical equipment to complement the expansion, Syahredzan said he was informed only about the need to upgrade the clinic’s ED but is open to further requests.
While MP funds can assist health care facilities on a small scale, they are insufficient for large-scale projects.
“It’s just something small to help out in our constituencies. It cannot replace the need to have more funds into MOH, which brings up the larger issue of we need more funds. Overall we need more revenue for us to continue to operate, for the government to continue to run, and to have more aids for those in need and so on.
“Because at the end of the day, it comes from the same pool (the federal government). It’s just the allocation is different, and yeah, it can help in small ways.
“It’s small but quite a big impact for the particular vicinity, but for example, if I go to any schools in my constituency, they will be telling me that they need more chairs, they need more tables.
“But MPs and Aduns (state assemblymen) have always been assisting schools because they know these schools, in the grand scheme of things, if you have funds, it is better to channel these funds to a sekolah daif (rundown school) in Sarawak, for example, instead of in the middle of urban Kuala Lumpur, if you have extra funds.
“So, it is about managing resources and allocations. It’s just a small part of what we can do to assist the people in our constituency.”
Klinik Kesihatan Kajang’s ED is currently closed for renovations. Patients are redirected to a makeshift room where they can receive treatment.
Syahredzan said the construction is expected to take three months to complete, possibly reopening in early November.
When asked whether the makeshift ED room is sufficient, Syahredzan said there was “no choice” but for the clinic and its health care workers to cope with what is available while renovations are being carried out.
Syahredzan said he will explore private-public partnerships with the state health department to allow patients to receive subsidised treatment at private clinics if health care workers at the Kajang public health clinic cannot contend with the large influx of patients.
“I think if there is a need for that, I think we can certainly spark the discussion, but even on their own, the Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah would know if there is a pressing need to do that. But I think at this point in time, they do think that they are able to cope — at least for the three months while the upgrade works are done — to treat the emergency patients at this temporary location within the klinik kesihatan.”
The Kajang community has been “overwhelmingly positive” about the upgrade and have even proposed that Syahredzan and his team survey other clinics and Kajang Hospital for aid consideration.
Syahredzan said while there is a need to expand Kajang Hospital, MPs’ allocations are inadequate to meet the needs of a hospital expansion project.
“We always would get people telling us, ‘Please, look at Hospital Kajang as well.’ But, at this point in time, I think we have not actually looked at it or engaged with the director of Hospital Kajang to find out what is needed or I have not gone there to do a courtesy call.
“I also do not think that any assistance that we can render to Hospital Kajang can have the same sort of impact as what we are doing with Klinik Kesihatan Kajang, because they (the hospital) require more funds.
“Even if we can assist, [it] will probably be a small part of what is needed, unlike Klinik Kesihatan Kajang where you know you have a bigger impact because it’s a community clinic. A lot of people go there, and what we do when we expand it is actually quite a big expansion and things like that.”
The freshman MP, who is also a lawyer, said in the grand scheme of the Malaysian health care system where large hospitals are in need of aid and are inundated with patients, the problem faced by Klinik Kesihatan Kajang might be minute to the MOH machinery and held that this is where MPs and state assemblymen can make the difference.
“The MPs and Aduns can play a role, but of course, the role they play is also limited. So, what they can do is also limited. We always have to be creative in how we use the allocation that we are given.
“But I think MPs and Aduns need to constantly find new ways in order to maximise, as I mentioned, the allocation that’s been given. You don’t have to spend too much to actually have a big impact.
“If you are able to look at the particular project and see how to best maximise the resources, and what sort of impact you can have to the local community, I think we need to start looking at how we can actually assist our local communities using the allocations that we have in increasingly creative ways. Not just the normal thinking of like, ‘Okay, they apply, so let’s just look at how we can help this taman (park) or this particular school.
“How do you diversify it? How do you maximise it? That’s what we have to do, especially when you talk about urban centres like in the Klang Valley and especially densely populated areas like Bangi.
“A lot of the issues here are actually lack of facilities, lack of infrastructure in terms of coping with overpopulation. So, how can MPs and Aduns help out? I think, if you have a good team, an experienced team in your office, an MP can actually do a lot of good with the limited allocation they’re given.”
