The federal government prioritises Sarawak’s rural health needs, launching the Borneo Health Convoy to assess clinics and address medical personnel shortages.
MUKAH: The Federal Government has placed Sarawak’s rural health and medical requirements at the top of its priority list, citing the increasing demands of the one million people living across the vast Borneo state.
The Health Ministry (MoH) has launched the Borneo Health Convoy Sarawak expedition to assess the current condition of rural clinics and hospitals, as well as the specific health challenges facing the rural populace, according to Deputy Health Minister Datuk Hanifah Hajar Taib.
“The health and medical needs of the rural population in Sarawak have increased considerably. This demand is not confined to urban centres but is felt throughout the rural districts as well,” Hanifah stated during a visit to the Sarawak Health Department office in the Mukah district.
She emphasised that the ministry aims to gather first-hand data on the ground to address these needs comprehensively.
“The infrastructure requirements of rural hospitals and clinics are receiving specific attention, and the pressing shortage of medical and health personnel in these areas remains a top priority,” she added.
The Sarawak Public Communications Unit (Ukas), in its latest statement, confirmed that Hanifah visited the Mukah Community Clinic to inspect treatment facilities for mothers and children, alongside the Mukah Dental Health Unit.
During her inspection of Mukah Hospital, the Deputy Minister, who is also the Member of Parliament for Mukah, stressed the urgent need to upgrade the facility’s emergency unit to better serve the central Sarawak region.
Hanifah assumed the role of Deputy Health Minister last year, succeeding Datuk Lukanisman Awang.
Lukanisman currently serves as the Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs.
The Borneo Health Convoy, which comprises health officials and administrators from both the federal ministry in Putrajaya and their Sarawakian counterparts, will continue its expedition to other remote locations across the state following the Mukah leg.
