Residents fear more fatal cases after MOH decision to stop two decades of 24-hour clinic service

It was noon on Oct 13. Rinita Marutandi was praying at the temple when her younger brother began complaining of body aches.  

At first, Praveen said he wanted to go home. But before anything else could happen, he had fainted. 

His friends crowded around, and, in a panic, his family took him to the Tanjung Malim health clinic, located some five minutes from the temple. 

Upon their arrival, though, they discovered that no doctor was available to treat Praveen. 

“The security guard said the doctor and medical officer were both having lunch,” Rinita said. 

“We waited 15 minutes but Praveen’s condition worsened, so we took him to a private clinic for treatment. It was about 2pm by then.”

At 3pm, the doctor at the private clinic informed the family that Praveen’s heart had stopped beating. 

By the time the ambulance arrived, it was too late. 

Not the first case

Praveen’s was not the first case in Tanjung Malim, Perak, where the health clinic ceased offering its 24-hour service on Aug 1 to standardise its operations with those of other rural health clinics. 

The clinic was originally the Tanjung Malim Hospital, operations of which were fully transferred to the Slim River Hospital in 2001. Its shift-based 24-hour emergency unit and hemodialysis service continued until Aug 1. 

On Sept 27, an accident involving a school student occurred in front of the clinic. However, the emergency team had been rushed to the Slim River Hospital for another case. 

An ambulance eventually came but by then, the victim had been taken to the hospital by the residents themselves. 

The Tanjung Malim health clinic had served some 60,000 residents in the area as well as in Hulu Bernam in northern Selangor. 

Their spokesman, activist Mythreyar Mutturamalinggam, collected nearly 3,000 signatures from household heads calling for the resumption of its 24-hour service. 

“This clinic operated around the clock for 20 years,” he said. “All of a sudden, the health ministry said it needed to follow the operating hours of other rural clinics. Was it wrong all this while to have opened 24 hours?”

Importance of first aid

Apart from Praveen, at least two other residents had died of heart problems suspected to be linked to a lack of early treatment. 

Zainidar Sarkawi, 62, recalled how her husband Mokhtar died of a heart attack on Oct 2 while selling vegetables at the Tanjung Malim morning market.

“He complained of chest pains. We arrived at 9am and the doctor took a look at him. 

“After that, he was taken straight to the Slim River Hospital. But 10 minutes after arriving at the red zone, he was gone.” 

The Slim River Hospital is about 22km away from Tanjung Malim. The Kuala Kubu Bharu Hospital, meanwhile, is some 23km away. 

According to Mythreyar, another resident reportedly died at home, early in the morning, because the ambulance from the Slim River Hospital did not arrive in time. 

He said the residents feared that other similar emergency cases would suffer the same fate if the health clinic continued keeping its current hours. 

“We understand if there is no high-tech equipment due to a lack of budget, but at least have what is needed for preliminary treatment,” he said. 

“People are dying because they can’t get that. First aid is very important. If they come here and there is first aid available, then it’s okay. But from here to Slim River is 22km – no short distance.”