Rhetoric?

THIS IS A POST OF MINE FROM MY PREVIOUS BLOG. ORIGINALLY POSTED IN FEB 2009

I was sitting in peace and tranquility in my ward today, when my HOD asked me to join him for a meeting next week. Guess what...a district level meeting!

What surprised me was the reason for the meeting..."masalah pesakit pendatang tanpa izin(non-local)" and the meeting is kind of to find "solution" or to get some "resolutions" perhaps:)

The main agenda being hospitalization payments of these non-local patients, which were hardly collected and end up as "hutang hapus-kira". My concern is : what we...at Sandakan level can do to overcome this matter? Isn't a STATE-level issue? Isn't to be discussed by our "intelligent" leaders...particularly of Sabah?

Illegal immigrant influx in Sabah is a nationwide-known issue. But not all knows to what extent the trouble has gone to...To simplify matter, I would like to categorize them as follows:

1. We have newly-arrived illegals.
2. Those who have resided in Sabah for years, have brought up families in Sabah...with no valid documents. They are neither Malaysian citizen nor citizens of their homeland.
3. Illegal immigrants with "valid" MYKAD. Need not ask how they obtained it.

(P/S: remind me to add if there are any other categories;)

Malaysia (particularly Sabah) has become kind of free-for-all country. Last year I had patients from Bakungan Island (of the Philippines) coming into Sandakan with no restriction. Again early this year I got a patient with Typhoid from one of the small islands of the Philippines. Of course on humanitarian basis, we treat them.

But where are our authorities...so-called guardians of our borders? Ok they may say difficult to monitor all the possible entry point to Malaysia..."acceptable"...BUT how about those walking around in the centre of town with no pasports/documents? Another case which happened in my ward last year...a lady(non-local with no documents) admitted for para-suicide (allegedly took overdose syabu!). We've already reported to our "great" police on the day of admission. She has done double crime - being illegal & possesing+consuming syabu. But our "superb" police never came during her 2days stay in the ward & had the courage to sound my nurse for not informing them again before patient gets discharged! If only the police had spoken to me...I would have got the chance to screw them to earth!

My utmost sympathy is for those whom are with "no homeland". Last year I had 2 twelve-years old girls diagnosed as AML & CHD (uni-atrium) respectively. Not eligible for subsidized treatment in Malaysia, they are from poor family (one brought up by single mother; the other girl by siblings) AND they are not eligible neither to get treatment in their mother-land because no proper documents. Born in Sabah, bred in Sabah but they are not Malaysians & the Philippines won't accept them neither. Where can they go for treatment?

These are the trouble going on in Sabah...I've no idea about the statistics..but trust me this matter is really serious! We can't deny basic, life-saving medical treatment based on nationality their financial status. We can't say, "you pay as you arrive, only then we'll treat your MI,AGE etc".

Though I applaud the initiative taken by Jabatan Kesihatan office of Sandakan & HDOK to organize the meeting involving the Immigration & police depts as well, I STILL STRONGLY CONDEMN the government of the day for not walking the talk & for not executing convincing measures to tackle this matter. They should not be at helm if they are not keen to get to the root of it.

Consensus regarding immigrant patients not paying up their bills should come from the federal KKM level with discussion with state govt + hospital authorities. But this would be best dealt, if the government of the day put in REAL, TRUE effort to get to the bottom of this Illegal immigrant matter at least bit by bit.