Following hospital fire, crown prince accuses Putrajaya of neglecting Johor
Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has accused Putrajaya of neglecting development in the southern state for years.
This came after a fire broke out at Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) in Johor Bahru again yesterday, amid a police probe into reports regarding the last blaze four years ago...
Johor crown prince Tunku Ismail Sultan Ibrahim has accused Putrajaya of neglecting development in the southern state for years.
This came after a fire broke out at Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) in Johor Bahru again yesterday, amid a police probe into reports regarding the last blaze four years ago.
Tunku Ismail (above), who is also Johor regent, said he, state ruler Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar and Permaisuri Raja Zarith Sofiah had requested the federal government to build a new hospital and upgrade the existing hospitals four years ago.
"Until when are Johor and the people of Johor going to be left out?" he asked in a social media post yesterday.
"We not only see it from the need of hospitals, but we can also see Johor being left out by looking at the condition of the highways.
"Consider the fact that Johor is advanced and contributes a lot to the national economy and federal government, but there are only two lanes on the highway compared to Malacca and Negeri Sembilan, which don't contribute as much," Tunku Ismail said.
"I urge the Malaysian government to speed up the upgrading of public facilities in Johor for the sake of the people," the crown prince added.
In October 2016, a previous fire that broke out at the intensive care unit at the HSA had claimed six lives.
Family members of those victims filed a lawsuit against the hospital, claiming negligence of patient safety.
In September 2017, a machine sealer unit at the packing room of an operating theatre at the same hospital caught fire.
HSA recently made headlines after the editor-in-chief of health news portal CodeBlue, Boo Su-Lyn, was reportedly probed for her series of articles on the 2016 fire.
Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah (below) said today a committee has been set up to carry out an investigation on the fire.
The committee is also entrusted to ensure that there will be no disruption of the health services provided by HSA, he said.
"Despite facing all sorts of challenges, the health workers on the ground will continue to provide the best services for the people," Noor Hisham said in a statement.
He said he and his colleague, Dr Chen Chaw Min, were given a briefing by HSA director Dr Mohtar Pungut @Ahmad during their visit to the hospital yesterday.
"A total of 24 patients from the ward have been moved to the other building. So were patients from the neighbouring building, for the sake of their safety.
"No casualty was reported among the patients and the staff," Noor Hisham said.
He also called for various ministries and agencies to come together to work out something for the short- and long-term development of HSA.
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