A Malaysian has recently written an open letter to the Health Ministry (KKM), Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah after having a terrible experience at a government hospital.
In a Facebook post, Alia said she was instructed to quarantine at the hospital with her 2-month-old baby because she showed Covid-19 symptoms.
She then described her stay at the hospital as ‘8 hours of horror’ because there was no privacy or health safety in the hospital.
Alia explained that there were no clean or suitable sinks for mothers to clean their breast pump equipment and bathe their newborn babies.
In addition, the fridge provided was not in good condition, which made her hesitant to store her breast milk. There were also no specified spaces for mothers to breastfeed their babies or pump.
They had no choice but to do it openly in front of other Covid-19 patients.
Alia said she didn’t even dare to go to the bathroom until the following day at dawn.
Nonetheless, she did give credit to all the doctors and nurses who were kind and extremely helpful.
Alia stressed that her complaint is purely about the hospital facilities. She said she was not demanding first-class service and didn’t mind being quarantined in a government facility. However, the hospital should at least be well equipped and clean for everyone staying there.
“I hope YB could come down here yourself and look, think and wonder would you let your wife, siblings, or family members quarantine here in such a condition? I am still here and I can bring you for a tour if you are willing,” she said.
The Health Ministry responded
According to a report by Sinar Daily, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Noor Azmi Ghazali said the ministry will investigate the condition of the hospital’s old maternity ward. He added that the hospital director has been asked to take drastic action.
The deputy minister said nobody should be deprived of the best facilities the Malaysian government and Health Ministry could offer.
In another Facebook post, a patient in the ward reached out to Alia to thank her for writing to the authorities. She added that the bathroom facilities had been cleaned and the shower had been repaired after Alia’s post went viral.
, Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin and Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah after having a terrible experience at a government hospital.){kind=link}