Speaking to The Borneo Post yesterday, Tiong, who is also a Justice of the Peace, said this was contrary to what Health Minister Datuk Chua So Lek had agreed on after an appeal was made to him last year during his tour of duty here.

“I personally talked to him on the need, and the minister had agreed to it.”

He said Chua’s decision was timely because Bintulu had some of the country’s major investments in gas and oil industrial complex, where thousands of workers were facing the risk of fires and explosions.

“All that the hospital here can provide is basic treatment, and then the burns patients will have to be transferred to Sibu or Miri. How can the hospital here deal with such a disaster when there is an explosion or a major fire outbreak in the gas and oil industrial complex?”

He urged the Health Department to recall the recent explosion at a gas facility here.

“They should be prepared for such a major disaster.”

Tiong was further angered because a major oil and gas company here had agreed to help in setting up the burns unit, but the Health Department seemed to be turning a blind eye to it.

He said this would erode the confidence of investors because the town was not properly medically equipped.

“We are back to square one and the hospital here will have to refer burns patients to another town that is three hours away. If a burns victim is in serious condition, he could lose his life.”

Tiong vowed to bring this matter to parliament.

“I need to understand why such a decision was made. Is there an agenda behind it? What is the motive?”

He said he had pleaded for the burns unit for seven years since he became MP.

“I was relieved last year when the people of Bintulu got the nod from Datuk Chua to build the unit, but today I am angry with the State Health Department for not turning the situation around. The people of Bintulu find no justification for this.”

Tiong said he was making this appeal for the people of Bintulu and not for his personal glory.

He said in setting up a hospital, there must be consideration for the specific needs of the place where it is located.

“We should not set it up with advanced medical equipment just to build a reputation when a town does not need it. Saving lives should be the priority and public interest must be served. Bintulu is a major gas and oil town, and with the industrial growth there must be adequate medical facility to back it up.”