KOTA KINABALU: The Federal Government should build a dedicated heart hospital in Sabah, says Datuk Seri Mohd Shafie Apdal (pic).

       The Parti Warisan president said such a facility was important in a state with a population of nearly four million.

       He also welcomed Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar's allocation of RM80mil for the establishment of a Sabah Cardiology Centre at a dedicated block of the Queen Elizabeth Hospital (QEH) II here.

       "I appreciate what has been announced. We need a new (heart) hospital," he told reporters after a walkabout at Donggongon township in Penampang near here on Sunday (April 21).

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       He said the proposed heart hospital could be located at any of the major towns in Sabah, not necessarily within the Kota Kinabalu area.

       Shafie said he had brought up the issue of Sabah having too few cardiologists and lacking in health facilities.

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       For example, he said major hospitals in Tawau, Sandakan and Keningau did not have any heart specialist to provide immediate treatment.

       "(Patients) need to travel ... to Kota Kinabalu. There have been cases where they could not make it in time.

       "We also can't afford to keep sending (heart) patients to Kuala Lumpur. We need facilities here in Sabah," he said, adding that Sabah did not have many alternatives to private health facilities in Kuala Lumpur.

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       He said there was also an overall need to improve medical facilities in the various districts and address the lack of doctors.

       For example, he said the state's main general hospital, Queen Elizabeth Hospital I, has 700 beds and food for the patients had to be sent from QEH II.

       "Sometimes visitors caring for their family members have to sleep on the floor," the Semporna MP said.

       He said Putrajaya had allocated RM500mil for Hospital Sultanah Aminah in Johor Baru to overcome congestion and hoped it would consider providing more allocation for Sabah hospitals.

       Warisan's Kota Belud MP Isnaraissah Munirah Majilis said she was saddened that there was no allocation for opening a dedicated heart hospital in Sabah similar to the funds set aside for the proposed Sarawak Cancer Centre.

       In thanking the Prime Minister for considering allocations for the cardiology centre at QEH II, Isnaraissah said at least the government was listening and taking action to improve health services in the state.

       "I just want to send a message to ... the government. The people here are Malaysians. (If you serve one place) don't miss out on serving here either," she said in a Facebook post, urging equal consideration for all Malaysians.