SIBU: A new polyclinic will have to be built or the existing one relocated to a new place to cater for the town's increasing population, says Datuk Lukanisman Awang Sauni.
The Deputy Health Minister said these were among the options suggested by Sibu Health Department head Dr Teh Jo Hun.
"I will raise these options with the department for consideration," he told reporters after visiting the Jalan Oya Polyclinic on Tuesday (Jan 16).
He said there was an urgent need to look into these options as the polyclinic built more than three decades ago had been declared as unsafe for use by the Public Works Department (JKR).
"Due to the town's increasing population, the polyclinic could no longer accommodate the rising number of visitors, which currently stands at 1,000 per day," he said.
On the proposal to relocate the polyclinic to the Teku area, Lukanisman said the area has been earmarked for future planning and not the polyclinic.
"We can't relocate the polyclinic there, in north Sibu, because of the distance. The land is for future plans.
"What we need to do now is to get an allocation from the Finance Ministry to address the Jalan Oya Polyclinic issue," he said.
Earlier, he visited Sibu Hospital to check out a leak on the ceiling and the installation of an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging) machine costing RM3mil that was contributed by Sarawak Heart Foundation.
The Deputy Minister was on the second day of his Borneo Tour to see the health facilities in the state.
