Kota Kinabalu: St John Ambulance Malaysia (SJAM) presented advanced medical equipment worth RM38,000 to Hospital Queen Elizabeth II (HQE II) here on Thursday to support clinical operations, while also calling for improvements to medical procurement processes in Sabah.
The equipment was handed over during a ceremony at the hospital lobby and received by HQE II Deputy Director Dr Parvin Rubon Arangulavan together with the hospital’s management team.
The contribution comprised a specialised Fluid Management System, a Fresenius Kabi Agilia Link 6 infusion system, and six syringe pumps for the hospital’s Cardiac Intensive Care Unit (CICU).
SJAM Area Superintendent (Operations) Petrus C. Mojuntin said the equipment formed part of the organisation’s corporate social responsibility initiative aimed at strengthening healthcare delivery.
He said SJAM remains committed to supporting public healthcare through emergency medical services, first aid education, community health programmes, and partnerships with government agencies.
He added that the organisation also conducts CPR and automated external defibrillator (AED) awareness programmes, blood donation campaigns, youth leadership development, and humanitarian initiatives to strengthen community healthcare.
Petrus said the latest contribution reflected SJAM’s commitment to complementing the public healthcare system through collaboration with healthcare institutions, government agencies, and the private sector.
While acknowledging the Ministry of Health’s efforts to provide doctors and medical equipment, he said procurement processes were often delayed due to administrative procedures.
He said government hospitals, regional health departments, and rural clinics in Sabah required more specialised medical equipment, and that delays in procurement should be addressed.
Petrus cited the Sabah government’s RM8.5 million Skim Bantuan Kesihatan Sabah Maju Jaya (SMJ) Sabah Sejahtera initiative in 2025, which supplied 100 haemodialysis machines to the Ministry of Health for distribution to 23 hospitals and two health clinics across the state.
He said the programme also exempted patients receiving treatment at participating government facilities from the RM13 treatment fee, and provided a monthly RM100 subsidy for patients undergoing Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) at home.
Petrus said the initiative demonstrated how healthcare assistance could be delivered efficiently while reducing the burden on patients with end-stage renal failure.
He also called for greater participation by Sabah-based suppliers in the supply of medical equipment to improve deployment efficiency, maintenance response times, and support for the local economy.
Petrus said combining the state government’s approach with greater reliance on local suppliers could help speed up the provision of equipment to public hospitals by reducing administrative bottlenecks.
He said SJAM and its local stakeholders hoped the relevant authorities would streamline procurement policies and improve supply chain processes to strengthen healthcare services for Sabahans.
