X-Ray Woes At Health Centre
By Lyna Mohammad

Bandar Seri Begawan - X-Ray facilities at health clinics in most of the districts are either not functioning or on the verge of breaking down.

This has led foreign workers and recruitment agencies to run around in circles to get x-rays and blood tests done.

The x-ray machine at the Anggerek Desa Health Centre has been down for quite a while due to "mechanical failure".

This has led to inordinate delays in medical check ups that are normally done at the centre. While blood tests can still be done there, staff at the centre has been advising patients to either take chest x-rays at Jerudong Park Medical Centre or the Pengiran Muda Mahkota Pengiran Muda Haji Al-Muhta'dee Billah hospital in Tutong.

According to reliable sources, the x-ray machine at Tutong hospital, too, is experiencing problems.

The latest process is time consuming for recruitment agencies as they have to take the employees to the authorised health centre and then return to the Health Centre in Anggerek Desa and come back again the following week to get the results.

The Ministry of Health yesterday said it was aware of the situation and has taken appropriate action to procure new x-ray machines to replace the old ones in all districts.

"Meanwhile, the Ministry is liberalising x-ray services by sourcing out to private clinics and health centres specifically for foreign workers' employment pass requirements in Brunei Darussalam, subject to terms and conditions set by the Ministry of Health," a press statement from the ministry added.

It also said that all diagnostic procedures for in-patients and outpatients are still being done at hospitals in all four districts.

The x-ray issue was raised in the Bulletin last year when people complained to the hotline. The staff at the centre had said the problem would be rectified in a week's time.

As the delay in medical check ups hit several employees, many had sought special passes as their visit passes had expired.

Director of the Department of Health Care Technology at that time, Dr Sabli Hj Aspar, had said that the previous supplier of x-ray machines had been taken over by another company and hence the department was facing problems to source spare parts for the x-ray machines, which were hard to find in the market.

He was also quoted as saying that the new company was trying to outsource spare parts as soon as possible to rectify the x-ray machines and added that the department was negotiating to upgrade the then x-ray system into the latest x-ray technology. But more than a year later, things have apparently not changed and the broken down x-ray machines are still waiting to be replaced.  -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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