An X (Twitter) user recently shared images of a government hospital ward, lamenting that it looked “super dodgy and sad”. She explained that her grandfather was terminally ill and used to be a government servant but now had to spend his last days in dilapidated surroundings.

In the images, her grandfather is seen lying on a metal bed which is already half rusty. The curtains are hung askew and there are many marks on the wall, giving it a grubby appearance. The ward appears cramped with the beds situated close to each other.

Although her grandfather was entitled to a first-class room, they were already fully occupied and the woman bemoaned that all his years as a customs officer felt like nothing. “Do better, Malaysia”, her caption read.

Sharing an image of an overbed table with an extremely battered edge, the woman wrote, “I mean, how is this okay?? Even though I am healthy, I also feel like being sick because this place is so horrifying. Don’t tell me the fee is cheap because he worked as a government servant all his life. Him and everyone else deserve better!!!”

She also tagged the social media for various news outlets as well as Prime Minister Dato’ Sri Anwar Ibrahim and Fahmi Fadzil, the Minister of Communications and Digital of Malaysia in her Tweet. Although it is uncertain which hospital the images are from, it is said to be the Sultanah Aminah Hospital, Johor Bahru.

Another user commented, “This is the thing I question the most as a Malaysian, I went to Kajang’s Klinik Kesihatan and the condition was awful. There was even a cat that fell from the atap roof until there was a hole. It’s already 2023?! What improvements are the government carrying out for facilities in the medical sector? They all keep changing new cars!”

Another user was in support of the government, saying, “For your information, KKM is not a ministry that generates income; all treatments are subsidised. The need for ventilators, echocardiograms, and MRIs involves costs reaching hundreds of thousands of ringgit. Therefore, the priority is on purchasing or repairing, rather than providing facilities based on patient class. It's time for the government to impose more relevant charges for the maintenance of all these facilities.”

Another Twitter user Richard Ker begged to differ. He shared, “This doesn't reflect ALL government hospitals. I had a different experience.”

He detailed his experience of his father being admitted into the Queen Elizabeth Hospital in Kota Kinabalu, Sabah. He said he personally experienced ‘the best healthcare system in the world’ when his father had to recently undergo major surgery with the need for local anaesthesia.

“Overall, we’re very happy with all the services provided by the doctors and staff”, Richard wrote. He called them ‘friendly and professional, ‘dedicated and caring’ as well as ‘attentive and positive’.

“Of course, the most shocking part is, the total bill was only RM30.50 (US$6.45),” his tweet read.

What has your personal experience with government hospitals been like? Let us know in the comments.

Image credit: @richardker, @anifaresailema