KLANG, 16 Jan: Hospitals should be free from waste materials, including garbage, because it is the focal point for the public who are facing health problems.
This was the reaction of the public when asked about the quality of hygiene, which allegedly has been neglected by contractors who have received tenders from the Federal Government for the purpose of clearing the rubbish around the hospital.
A private sector employee, Rusdan Ahmad, 29, is of the opinion that all parties cannot take the issue of waste management lightly, especially in hospitals because the waste materials in rubbish can be agents of diseases.
“I think that this rubbish problem should be taken seriously. Even though there are signboards in relation to cleanliness, there is still litter found around the parking area and drains. This is very disappointing,” he said when met at the hospital compound in the Klang district.
He concurred with Khairul Munir Mustapha, 27, who said that those who received cleaning contracts should be fully responsible in their failure to perform the task given.
“I do not agree when I found out that the Federal Government gave tenders to irresponsible parties because it involves the interest of the people,” said the student of a Public Institute of Higher Learning (IPTA).
Meanwhile, Abdul Basit Abdullah, 54, said that hospitals should be free of all rubbish because it reflects the quality of service provided by each hospital visited by the public.
Recently, the State Government urged the Federal Government to review the contracts for cleaning hospitals in Selangor given to cronies following their failure to provide effective services.
The Executive Councillor for Health, Entrepreneur Development, Science, Technology and Innovation, Dr Daroyah Alwi, said that the matter should be taken seriously to ensure hospitals are clean and do not affect patients.
Dr Daroyah said that the Ministry of Health should provide an opportunity for other contractors to compete competitively and to not give monopolistic contracts to only one company.
Previously, there were complaints that hospital staff had to take over the work of cleaning toilets and wards in most hospitals except for the Serdang Hospital.
Reportedly, only 13 out of 135 people were sent by Radicare for the cleaning of the Klang Hospital and several hospitals in Selangor are in ‘chaos’ not just because of the influx of patients, but because of problems of cleanliness and garbage collection.
It is understood that Radicare was given the contract for cleaning all hospitals since 2013; however the company reduced their workforce from 120 people to 20 people only in each hospital.
