Six Hours at Emergency, Zero Urgency: Pak Tam the Patient at SBH and an FB Response from State Health

By Mihar Dias February 2026

Six hours.

Not six minutes.

Not the kind of “six hours” you spend happily binge-watching Korean dramas with a cup of kopi.

Six hours of pain.

Six hours of shivering fever.

Six hours in an Emergency Department — the very place whose job description begins with the word emergency.

And all this happened at Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital in Alor Setar, involving a paralysed outpatient fondly known as Pak Tam, whose only crime was falling sick and expecting help before the next lunar cycle. https://newswav.com/A2601_3xjq6q?s=A_JiDAq60&language=en

After our column highlighted his ordeal, Jabatan Kesihatan Negeri Kedah dutifully issued a Facebook announcement saying — brace yourselves — they would “look into the matter.” https://www.facebook.com/share/1ANziU5bZE/

Ah yes. The famous Malaysian national pastime.

Looking into matters.

We look into floods after homes are submerged.

We look into potholes after motorcyclists fly.

We look into hospital delays after patients nearly expire.

If “looking into it” were an Olympic sport, Malaysia would have more gold medals than China.

The public reaction, however, was not as polite as the official statement.

About 240 readers jumped into the comment section faster than a flash sale on Shopee. https://www.facebook.com/share/1ANziU5bZE/

Almost all shared stories of poor service, long waits, frustration and disappointment. Some probably typed while still sitting on plastic chairs at the hospital.

The overwhelming consensus was refreshingly simple:

“Don’t study. Just act.”

A revolutionary concept.

Because when you’re in unbearable pain, every minute feels like an hour. And when you wait six hours, it feels like you’ve applied for PR status in the waiting room.

Pak Tam wasn’t just waiting.

He was paralysed.

He was infected.

He was shivering with fever.

Yet somehow, the system treated him like he was there to renew a library book.

Even regular readers of this column — Malaysians who are usually quite tolerant of inefficiency (we queue patiently at JPJ, we accept delayed flights, we forgive missing nasi lemak sambal) — expressed shock.

When Malaysians start complaining loudly about public hospitals, you know the situation has graduated from “a bit slow lah” to “this is ridiculous.”

Things escalated so much that a former Chief Justice himself wrote to the Kedah Menteri Besar. The MB, to his credit, promised that officers would look into the matter immediately. ("Dear Tun.. noted. Apart from that, MB has instructed respective Exco @ health to address the problem as soon as possible." )

Which brings us back to our favourite phrase again.

Look into it.

But the response from the former CJ, summed it up beautifully: "Go quietly and investigate. Not give notice and bring the whole gin bang ....you will see what they want you to see." But I like his side comments to me, shared here with his kind permission: “Klau nak pergi tak payah pergi berkompang gendang,...diam pergi perhati”.

Now that deserves to be carved on a plaque at every government office.

Because we Malaysians have perfected the art of the surprise inspection with advance notice.

First, we announce on Facebook.

Then we arrive with photographers.

Then staff suddenly become the most efficient workers in Southeast Asia.

Waiting rooms clear. Smiles appear. Files move faster than Grab riders.

And once the VIP leaves?

Everything goes back to normal — which in this case means back to six-hour waits.

Hospitals are not movie premieres. They don’t need fanfare. They need functioning systems.

No amount of “looking into it” will reduce waiting times unless:

• More staff are deployed during peak hours

• Triage is properly enforced

• Processes are streamlined

• Accountability actually exists

Not another committee.

Not another report.

Not another PowerPoint.

Just action.

Because in healthcare, delay is not an inconvenience — it’s a risk.

A six-hour wait for someone with fever and infection isn’t just uncomfortable. It can be dangerous. Sometimes fatal.

And let’s be honest — Sultanah Bahiyah Hospital is hardly alone.

Ask anyone who’s spent time in public hospitals across Malaysia. The stories are eerily similar:

“You come at 10am, you see doctor at 4pm.”

By then, your painkillers have worn off, your patience is gone, and you’ve memorised every crack on the ceiling.

Yet every time it surfaces, the script remains the same:

Public complains →

Authorities “look into it” →

Temporary improvement →

Back to old habits.

It’s like New Year resolutions.

Lots of enthusiasm in January.

By February, nasi lemak is back on the menu.

The saddest part?

The rakyat aren’t even asking for luxury.

No one is demanding five-star hospital lounges, cappuccino machines or valet parking.

They’re just asking not to suffer for hours before being treated.

Basic dignity.

Basic efficiency.

Basic humanity.

So yes, by all means — look into it.

But maybe this time:

Look into staffing shortages.

Look into workflow bottlenecks.

Look into why emergencies aren’t treated urgently.

And most importantly…

Look into fixing it permanently.

Because Pak Tam’s six-hour wait isn’t just one man’s story.

It’s a symptom of a system that has become too comfortable with inefficiency — knowing that after every outrage, a statement will be issued, a promise will be made, and life will go on.

Until the next Pak Tam.

And the next six hours.

And another Facebook post saying:

“We will look into the matter.”

Mihar Dias (mihardias@gmail.com) is a content creator under the Newswav Creator programme, where you get to express yourself, be a citizen journalist, and at the same time monetize your content & reach millions of users on Newswav. Log in to creator.newswav.com and become a Newswav Creator now!

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