RM48mil centre will help reduce wait time at Mengkibol facility, treat 800 patients
THE construction of a new government clinic in Kluang, Johor, is underway and will be completed in three years.
State health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon told StarMetro the Type Two clinic, which would be able to treat around 800 patients daily, cost RM48mil.
He said the construction progress as of early September was 21.73% which was ahead of the scheduled 16.69%.
“We hope the contractor will maintain the momentum, as it is expected to be completed by 2029,” he said.
Ling recently visited the project site near Kem Makhota, where the old Hospital Kluang used to be, and said he would keep tabs on its progress.
“Once in operation, it will benefit more people in Kluang and be able to disperse patient volume from the Mengkibol health clinic.”
The Mengkibol health clinic is currently the only government facility offering comprehensive healthcare services around Kluang town.
“It sees more than 1,000 patients daily for medical treatment, check-ups and follow-ups.
“Due to the shortage of manpower at Kluang’s Hospital Enche’ Besar Hajjah Khalsom, many patients with non-communicable diseases such as high-blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol have been referred to the clinic for follow-ups.
“The significant patient load has caused the clinic to become more crowded with longer waiting times,” said Ling.
To tackle this issue, he said several adjustments had been made such as implementing time-based appointments, extending the clinic’s operating hours and moving its blood test services to the next building.
“We are also looking at making other adjustments such as implementing the electronic queue management system as well as shifting some of the clinic’s units to more suitable locations to lighten the patient load.
“Discussions with the Health Department are ongoing while the state government will continue providing assistance to ensure smoother public healthcare delivery,” said Ling.
