33 1MALAYSIA CLINICS TO SHUT DOWN

This is among 3 thrust issues to be discussed by cabinet, says minister

HEALTH Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the final reports on three thrust issues concerning the Health Ministry will be tabled at the next cabinet meeting.

The three reports are on the revamp of the 1Malaysia Clinics, sexual harassment cases involving graduate medical officers and the proposed increase in the rate of consultation fees of doctors at private hospitals and clinics.

Dr Dzulkefly said based on the proposals, 33 out of 346 1Malaysia Clinics would be closed in stages.

“The remaining 1Malaysia Clinics will be revamped as community clinics with changes, including assigning medical officers, pharmacists and nurses at every clinic,” he said after launching the National Dental Health Promotion Week at the Kuala Lumpur City Hall Square here yesterday.

He said the closure of the clinics would not affect the health delivery service to the people as there were nearby health facilities provided by the ministry.

On the sexual harassment issue, he said the ministry was waiting for the final report from the Independent Investigation Committee to investigate the cases, to be tabled to the cabinet next week.

He said recommendations in the report would be taken into account to ensure that the problem did not recur.

On the proposed increase in the rate of consultation fees in private hospitals and clinics, he said the revision would be tabled at the cabinet before any decision was made.

Prior to this, Health Deputy Director-General Datuk Dr Azman Abu Bakar said the paper on the proposed revision of consultation fee charges, which was submitted to Dr Dzulkefly, recommended an increase of between RM35 and RM125 from RM10 and RM35.

The increase was agreed to at a town hall session on “Stakeholders Consultation on the Proposed Revision of General Practitioners’ Charges” in Putrajaya recently.