KOTA KINABALU: Libaran MP Datuk Suhaimi Nasir has urged the government to expedite the construction of the Rancangan Sungai Manila Hospital, stressing that the project has stalled for over a decade despite the growing healthcare needs in Sandakan.
The hospital was included in Malaysia’s 10th, 11th, and 12th Malaysia Plan but never materialised.
Suhaimi, also Sabah Umno information chief, criticised the delay and demanded a clear answer from the government.
“The Rancangan Sungai Manila Hospital was listed under RMK-10, RMK-11, and RMK-12, yet here we are in 2025, and it still has not been implemented,” he said in the Dewan Rakyat, Thursday (Feb 13).
“Is this hospital part of the government’s priority list, or did GRS (Gabungan Rakyat Sabah) exclude it from the submission simply because it is in an Opposition-held constituency?” he asked.
More than 30,000 residents in Rancangan Sungai Manila and surrounding areas rely on Duchess of Kent Hospital (HDOK) Sandakan, which can no longer cope with the growing patient load.
Suhaimi stressed that without a second hospital, residents will continue to face overcrowding and long wait times.
“The new hospital will include an emergency unit, dental clinic, inpatient wards, and maternity wards. HDOK can no longer accommodate Sandakan’s growing population, especially in Libaran,” he said.
He urged the government to approve the project immediately to prevent further strain on the district’s healthcare system.
Sandakan, with a population of over half a million, relies solely on HDOK for medical services, leading to overcrowding as patients from surrounding districts also depend on it for healthcare, especially since Sandakan does not have a private hospital.
In 2022, Sandakan MP Vivian Wong revealed in the Dewan Rakyat that HDOK has only one hospital bed for every 1,250 residents, nearly 2.5 times higher than the national average.
World Bank data from 2021 placed Malaysia’s national average at 2.01 hospital beds per 1,000 residents, making Sandakan one of the worst-served districts in terms of hospital bed availability.
In 2023, Sabah Community Development and People’s Well-being Minister Datuk James Ratib warned that HDOK, built in 1952, is outdated and deteriorating.
He also pushed for another hospital in Sandakan, noting that unlike Kota Kinabalu and Tawau, Sandakan has no private hospital, forcing all patients to rely on HDOK.
Meanwhile, Suhaimi also called for an expanded Supplementary Food Programme (RMT) to support Sabah’s schoolchildren.
“We cannot ignore children’s welfare while focusing on economic development,” he said.
He pushed for RMT eligibility to extend beyond hardcore poor families so that every student in Sabah has access to proper nutrition.
“A comprehensive food programme ensures a better start in life, producing a healthier and more competitive generation,” he added.
