He said the placement of more specialists at the hospital was necessary to prepare for emergencies, such as earthquakes.

“The departments which are in critical need of specialist are surgery and paediatric, apart from psychiatry, ophthalmology and otorhinolaryngology,” he told a media conference here yesterday.

He suggested every department have at least two specialists.

According to Tan, the hospital currently has 10 medical specialists, including in the orthopaedic and radiology departments.

Tan said the shortage of specialists at the hospital had caused concern among the local community that they would be sent to hospitals further away in Kota Kinabalu, Tawau or Sandakan.

He also suggested enhancing the security system at the hospital to ensure the safety of patients there.

“Closed-circuit television cameras are necessary to assist the hospital authority to monitor security in the hospital grounds,” he added.