NOT too long ago, 2020 seemed like a distant future where visions and goals are made. What we as a nation dreamed of didn’t seem impossible given the time frame at the turn of the century. Twenty years seemed like a reasonable amount of time to make some changes for improvements.
Some things have indeed improved. Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL), for one, has upped their game. Since they moved to the new building a few years ago, waiting time for appointments is no longer the general order of 8am on everyone’s card and then waiting for your turn according to the time of your arrival.
It’s no longer a mad rush of having to spend your entire day waiting. For some clinics, you’re actually given a specific time slot. If you’re late for whatever reason, then the person who’s there earlier than you would go first.
Specialists at public hospitals are still overworked with so many people needing their attention. The problem of supply and demand should still be addressed. The demand for more doctors, nurses, support staff, wards and beds, as well as equipment, along with a whole host of necessary things needed for a properly-run hospital requires attention.
You can see this dire need in public hospital everywhere else too. I’ve had friends who waited for more than 24 hours on a gurney along corridors while waiting to get admitted. Why the wait? There were no beds available.
On another occasion, we were turned away by a private hospital at the door of their emergency department without treatment because the nurse took one look at the injured person and said, “This case looks like she needs to be admitted. Please go to another hospital because we have no beds available for admissions.”
You can imagine our shock at this denial. Good thing the ambulance could take us to the next nearest hospital with staff that gave immediate attention.
WISHES FOR 2020 AND BEYOND
1. Hospitals should have clear Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) of how to deal with patients, whether it’s incoming or patients waiting for treatment. I know of some hospitals whose doctors and staff went over and above the call of duty by providing treatment for their patients. They worked with what they had, and that wasn’t much. Even though their wards were full to the brim, they kept their cool with polite smiles and gentle treatments instead of scolding those who moaned in pain and despair.
2.Good maintenance of hospitals. Budgets to upgrade public hospitals may seem like too much for the government/authorities to allocate. However, there must be a maintenance cost budgeted for the running of hospitals. Cleanliness of wards, kitchens and toilets (and there’s indeed more to this) should surely be at the top of the list. It’s basic knowledge that cleanliness prevents disease, among other things.
3.More green areas and parks for the public that’s user-friendly. By this I mean more parking areas or places to park. If designating areas for car parks is a problem, then perhaps there should be time zones where cars can park along the sidewalk without getting slapped with fines. In some countries, the pavements of sidewalks double up as car parking zones that are also wheelchair and pedestrian-friendly.
4.Clean rivers and beaches. This is something every single citizen should be conscious of. Certainly picnics with loved ones are fun and encouraged for recreation and bonding. However, people should learn not to litter. We should learn to bring our rubbish home with us if there aren’t any rubbish bins available or if rubbish bins are full. Why is it that we can do this when we travel to some countries because that’s the rule of the land? But we don’t practice at home.
Rubbish and food debris left along rivers invite rats and other animals to feed there after you leave. The animals’ urine and faeces, in turn, pollute the river. This infects our water sources and it’s also how people can get infected with leptospirosis, a disease that’s tricky to diagnose but can cause death.
5.Better enforcement of existing laws we already have. There should be more enforcement against people who commit open burning of forests and household rubbish, littering, vehicles emitting heavy smoke and texting while driving, just to name a few.
I believe my wishes are achievable if we all work together. We need to get like-minded people together, especially the authorities and those with the will and power to make such changes.
Incentives could perhaps be given to developers to channel their funds greening cities, improving hospitals, schools and parks instead of building more malls and condominiums that people don’t need or can’t afford just to keep their license or permits.
Health, education and safety are our basic needs and rights. These things, when blended well together, can give us all a better quality of life.
Healthier lifestyles make for healthier lives. Let’s make 2020 a better decade for all.
[The views expressed here are entirely the writer’s own.]
Putri Juneita Johari volunteers for the Special Children Society of Ampang. She can be reached at juneitajohari@yahoo.com.