Bandar Kuching MP calls for special exemption of 10km rule for medical treatment

CORONAVIRUS | Bandar Kuching MP Dr Kelvin Yii has called on the Health Ministry to extend special consideration to Sarawak and Sabah when it comes to enforcement of the 10km regulation under the movement control order (MCO).

Yii objected to the regulation announced in a gazette signed by Health Minister Dr Adham Baba that has prohibited people from seeking treatment at medical facilities that are located more than 10km from their homes.

"This regulation does not only add unnecessary bureaucracy for patients to get the needed medical attention but it also causes much inconvenience, especially for those patients in rural areas.

"While I understand the reasoning behind such regulations especially during an outbreak such as this, I urge the minister to take into consideration the local demographics of Sarawak and access of healthcare for rural folks," said Yii (below) in a statement today.

"Rural folks comprise a huge portion of the population in Sarawak who may need to travel more than 10km for access to a public health facility especially hospitals.

"A district clinic may not provide the necessary medical attention or even supplies to these patients making it a necessity for them to travel further to the hospitals which are normally in the city," he added.

Sabah and Sarawak are the two largest states in Malaysia and have lower doctor to patient ratios than in Peninsular Malaysia.

"In the event of an outbreak of an infectious disease, patients do not just make ‘casual trips’ to hospitals due to concerns of catching the virus in a hospital environment, which means that a huge majority if not all such trips are of necessity especially for important follow-ups or treatment such as for cancer patients or even cardiac patients."

Yii said that in Sarawak, the main treatment centre for both conditions are in Kuching and people in the northern regions of Sarawak may need to fly all the way down south for such specialised treatment as well.

"Even for residents in Kuching itself, the specialised heart centre is in the district of Kota Samarahan, and for patients to travel up there may be more than 10km itself.

"Such regulations may also affect follow-ups and even medication refilling for patients with NCDs or other chronic diseases.

"Pregnant mothers especially in the rural areas seeking for pre-natal follow-ups will also be affected including babies due for scheduled vaccination are also affected by this regulation," he added.

He suggested that proper documentation of hospital/clinic appointments or even medicine prescriptions be sufficient to be shown at each roadblock or inspection for such special consideration to be given to the patients. - Mkini