A rural clinic about two hours away by express boat ride from Kapit had run out of medicine two months ago and the authorities only learnt about it last Tuesday as telephone links had been down for a year and communications by river had been made difficult by shallow waters.

The situation came to light when State Assemblyman for Pelagus Larry Sng visited a Beketan longhouse, Rumah Sekin gawai dawak 020607 chicken as guest-of-honour at the closing ceremony of Gawi Dayak (left) last Tuesday and faced the wrath of the headmen.

The only clinic along Batang Rajang, Nangka Merit is about half way between Kapit and Belaga and serves several Iban, Kayan, Kenyah, Beketan and Penan longhouses.

And Kapit is farther away from Kuching than Kuantan is from Kuala Lumpur

Telephone lines between Nanga Merit and Kapit have been out of order for a year and river communication by express boat has been made difficult because Batang Rajang the prolonged dry weather has made the Batang Rajang waters shallow.

At the ceremony-cum-dialogue several longhouse headmen angry over the lack of medicine and concerned about the health of their villagers demanded that Sng, who is assistant minister in the Chief Minister's office, act on their complaints.

Health top priority

"When we are sick we have to remain at home as there is no point going to the clinic. There is simply no medicine there," said the Tuai Rumah Sekin.

"We are worried about the health of our women and children," said another Tuai Rumah who refused to be identified.

Soothing ruffled feathers, Sng pledged to contact the relevant medical authorities upon his return.

He added: " The health of the people must be given top priority and should not be compromised."

Later he told reporters that he had learnt that sometimes sick people were given only a minimum amount of medicine per visit while there had been occasions when some were turned away without any despite being ill.

Call to restore phonelines

"Even patients with blood pressure complained of lack of treatment and medicine," he said.

Sng also called on the authorities to rectify the faulty telephone link quickly.

Efforts by Malaysiakini to contact the divisional medical officer, Kapit, Dr. Ngian Hie Ung proved fruitless.

She was not in the office and her handphone went unanswered.

Other officials refused comment.