LETTER | Hospital Sultanah Aminah fire a mere tip of the iceberg
LETTER | The recent fire at the Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) in Johor Bahru, the latest of several recurring fires at that medical facility over the years, will soon disappear from public discourse and concern. Believe me.
What we fail to realise again is that it's not just this hospital that is at risk. All public hospitals nationwide are likely at huge risk too. The building safety standards of all public buildings including hospitals are highly questionable.
The widely-held belief is that the conditions of many such buildings are not only sordid but these structures also suffer perennially from a lack of government funds.
An academic from University Sains Malaysia has gallantly called for a comprehensive fire safety plan to be drawn up for all hospitals which will take into account the hospitals’ wiring, building design, and oxygen supply system...
LETTER | The recent fire at the Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) in Johor Bahru, the latest of several recurring fires at that medical facility over the years, will soon disappear from public discourse and concern. Believe me.
What we fail to realise again is that it's not just this hospital that is at risk. All public hospitals nationwide are likely at huge risk too. The building safety standards of all public buildings including hospitals are highly questionable.
The widely-held belief is that the conditions of many such buildings are not only sordid but these structures also suffer perennially from a lack of government funds.
An academic from University Sains Malaysia has gallantly called for a comprehensive fire safety plan to be drawn up for all hospitals which will take into account the hospitals’ wiring, building design, and oxygen supply system.
In his piece which was published in Free Malaysia Today on June 30, he called for the release of the '2016 findings by the special committee investigating the HSA fire'.
Such reports will enable building administrators and the relevant government agencies to be fully aware of the potential dangers lurking in their own backyards.
Knowledge is the forerunner of right action.
But despite self-rule for well over six long decades, the state of public buildings, especially our country's public hospitals dedicated to treating and saving lives, continue to suffer from outdated facilities and gross violation of public and staff safety standards.
While every minister and incoming government proudly lays claim to the ultra-modern skyscrapers that boast of design finesse and safety contraptions, our hospitals and other government-owned buildings remain as death traps.
Added to this problem is our lack of finances, expertise, time, and effort in ensuring that safety is prioritised as an integral element of productivity and performance.
Doing annual namesake fire drills and widely publicising these scarce activities in the media is nothing but pulling wool over the public's eyes.
If we cannot prioritise and commit national budgets and efforts for improving safety standards sustainably, then we must accept the widely-held suspicion that we will never be a truly developed nation.
What is the use of chasing after big money from commercially-viable mega-projects when a government's fundamental duty to provide safe medical care and trustworthy public safety standards are only given lip service and politically-correct positioning?
As long as government leaders try to hide findings and reports which were produced via investigations paid for with public funds, we are only cheating ourselves.
The recurrent tip of the iceberg, the reporting of fires, will come and go. But one day, we will witness a massive disaster that will attract global condemnation.
So, until then, will we still continue with our 'tutup satu mata' (close one eye) culture?
The views expressed here are those of the author/contributor and do not necessarily represent the views of Malaysiakini.
