Q&A session: Lukanisman responding to queries in the Dewan Rakyat. — Bernama
A POWER supply disruption in July affected several areas of Hospital Sultan Idris Shah in Serdang, including the surgery hall, the Dewan Rakyat was told.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni said the Public Works Department (JKR) and the project contractor took immediate action to identify and resolve the issue, which originated from the wiring, electrical and air-conditioning systems.
“Maintenance and repair work, including upgrades to the main wiring system, supporting electrical systems and air-conditioning was completed on Aug 15.
“The affected operating theatres are now fully operational,” he said in response to queries from Yeo Bee Yin (PH-Puchong) in the Dewan Rakyat yesterday.
On May 14, The Star reported that the four operating theatres in Hospital Sultan Idris Shah’s Heart Centre could not be used due to maintenance issues.
At that time, only one of the operating theatres in the hospital’s old building was functioning, leaving a large number of patients on the waiting list.
After about a month following repairs to the four non-functional operating theatres and surgery rooms, the heart centre’s new wing operating theatres had to be closed for three weeks due to multiple electrical issues.
Lukanisman said JKR and the hospital’s maintenance company would continue monitoring to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.
On another matter, he said the ministry is prepared to engage in discussions about reducing subsidies for sugar producers as part of a broader strategy to control the nation’s sugar consumption.
“It is not wise to provide excessive subsidies while facing high costs for diabetes treatment, especially amid the increasing prevalence of diabetes among Malaysians,” he said in his reply to a supplementary question by Syed Saddiq Abdul Rahman (Muda-Muar).
The lawmaker had also suggested the government raise the excise duty on sugary drinks and consider slashing sugar production subsidies, which he argued as necessary to prevent Malaysians from continuing to depend on sugar as a “staple”.
Acknowledging Syed Saddiq’s proposal, Lukanisman said it needed to be discussed with the Finance and Economy ministries.
However, he reiterated that the Health Ministry needed support from everyone in the august House in its “War on Sugar”.
“It’s important for the campaign to be understood by the public and that sugar subsidies would be reconsidered from time to time,” he added.
On Oct 18, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim announced plans to gradually increase the excise duty on sugary drinks by 40sen per litre, beginning Jan 1 next year.
He said the revenue would be used to fund diabetes treatment and provide dialysis for kidney patients.
To a question from Yuneswaran Ramaraj (PH-Segamat), Lukanisman said the amount was “substantial” considering the rising cost of diabetes treatment.
Citing the Prevention and Control of Noncommunicable Diseases in Malaysia: The Case for Investment 2021 report, he said the economic burden of metabolic diseases, especially diabetes, amounted to RM27.7bil.
The total cost for four non- communicable diseases (cardiovascular, metabolic, cancer and chronic respiratory diseases) reached RM64.2bil.
“The increase is driven by rising patient numbers and infrastructure needs, as well as ongoing and long-term treatment requirements,” he said.
