“Rural Sabah needs it too” – M’sians Question Health Minister’s Proposal to Build Hospital in Gaza

Recently, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad announced that he will propose the construction of a hospital in Gaza, Palestine to the Cabinet in order to help with the post-war period there.

Taking to Facebook, Dr Dzulkefly said that this is a continuation of the efforts by several local non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on the matter.

Furthermore, the Health Minister stressed that the Unity Government under Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim’s leadership will always defend and stand with the people of Palestine. 

Some Malaysians question the need for such a proposal

However, the proposal by Dr Dzulkefly doesn’t sit too well with some Malaysians, with many taking to social media to question why our country would focus on building a hospital in the Middle East.

More so, when there are still many places within our country that require new hospitals or upgraded medical facilities.

Beluran hospital, sabah

One of whom was X (formerly known as Twitter) user @LinaRamsah who took to the platform to share her two cents on the matter.

In the post, @LinaRamsah said that she’s not against giving humanitarian aid to Palestine but stressed that Beluran in Sabah also needs a hospital.

She asserted,

“No hate to Palestine but can’t we build a hospital here, I mean, in Beluran? We do need a bigger hospital for the whole of Beluran? What we have now is too old and small.”

Should prioritise the well-being of Malaysians first

The post has since gone viral, garnering over 2,800 likes and more than 1,900 shares as of the time of writing, with many Malaysians also echoing the same sentiment as @LinaRamsah.

One commenter agreed with the post and said that the government should focus on domestic affairs first. He added that Palestine’s neighbouring Arab League countries are mostly rich nations and are closer to Gaza, hence shouldn’t they be the ones building a hospital there instead of Malaysia?

Meanwhile, another commenter said that in Sabah, specifically in Penampang, the government medical facilities are lacking, with a proposed health clinic and quarters still not seen any development after 10 years. The commenter asserted,

“We sympathised with the Palestinians being bombed in Gaza, but even building a health clinic in Sabah is hard, how to help those overseas?”

Beluran hospital, sabah

The Beluran Hospital urgently needs an upgrade

Besides that, commenters also agreed with @LinaRamsah’s statement on how the Beluran Hospital needs an upgrade.

One Malaysian revealed that the hospital is also not conducive and urgently needs to be upgraded to have bigger space and facilities.

Another commenter said that like the one in Beluran, Malaysia has a lot of rundown hospitals, something the Health Ministry should address.

One X user pretty much sums up what all of the commenters are trying to convey by asserting,

“Build hospitals and clinics in Malaysia first. Upgrade hospitals and clinics that are rundown in Malaysia. After we’ve done this, only then we can help others.”

So, what do you guys think of the whole situation? Share your thoughts with us in the comments.

Also read: Penang Doctor Makes Sarcastic Remark About Patient’s Mental Illness Online, Sparking Outrage