New RM28.8m clinic for Nabawan

NABAWAN: "Thousands of lives can be saved with the existence of this new Nabawan Health Clinic," said a 54-year-old resident of Nabawan, Daud Anggau, who was delighted with the existence of the sophisticated RM28.8 million health facility.
Daud regarded the clinic, which was scheduled to be opened by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Abdul Razak on Jan 19, as a special gift from the Barisan Nasional (BN) government headed by Najib, who is also BN chairman, to the 34,030 residents in the district.
"We are grateful and will make use of the facility in the best possible manner," he told Bernama when met at the new clinic today.
Another resident, Baalon Agoon, 58, said residents in the area especially those living in Sepulut, Pagalungan and Pensiangan need not go to Keningau to seek medical treatment.
"Everything is available in this new clinic," he explained.
In the past, he said they had to spend much money to travel to the Keningau District Hospital, 114 km from their villages, to seek medical treatment.
"The setting up of the hospital-level clinic has ended the sufferings of all the people in the district ... thanks to the government," said another resident, Marutin Ansiung.
Marutin said the existence of the facility also simultaneously dismissed the allegations of the opposition against the government.
"This is part of the thousands of evidence that the government is really concerned about the problems of the people in the interior," he said.
Construction started in stages in 2010 and was fully completed in November 2016. It is equipped with 12 beds and is staffed by 135 personnel, including 10 doctors.
"Here we offer 20 types of services. As of December 2017, 57,283 people have been treated at the clinic since it became operational in December 2016," said Nabawan District Health Officer, Kevin Isaac Joseph.
Among the services provided at the clinic were outpatient, treatment and emergency services, treatment of infectious and non-infectious diseases, laboratory, pharmacies, infectious and non-infectious disease screening counters, maternal and child health and home visits.
He said the health clinic also offered school health services, adolescent health, senior citizen health, mental health, nutritional health, medical physiotherapy, maternity, smoking cessation, dental health, X-Ray and 1Malaysia Mini Mobile Clinic.
"This clinic also provides diagnostic imaging services and a dental clinic that were not available in the old clinic ... this is a very positive development," explained Dr. Kevin.
Meanwhile Nabawan District Officer Fredian Gan said the setting up of the health clinic gave a breath of fresh air to the people of Nabawan.
Nabawan has an area of 6,089 sq km or 608,908 ha covering forest reserves (486,441.6 ha) and borders Tawau and Kinabatangan in the east, Keningau and Tenom to the west and shared the international border with Kalimantan, Indonesia to the south.
"All the people of Nabawan are proud of the gift from the government," said Fredian. — Bernama