KUALA LUMPUR – The Health Ministry has completed a total of 65 health clinics worth RM1,156,572,795 and which are now operational in providing services to the public, the Dewan Negara was told today.
The Health Ministry also spends a substantial RM137 million each year to maintain operations of 201 health clinics across the country under the Clinic Support Services (PSK), through a five-year contract commencing in 2022, Bernama reported.
In a written reply to Senator Lingeshwaran R. Arunasalam, the ministry revealed that the PSK programme is a crucial, albeit non-comprehensive, initiative encompassing essential facility engineering maintenance and cleaning services, ensuring the clinics remain functional and hygienic for the public.
“Currently, the Health Ministry is examining proposals to collaborate with private health clinics for some services, especially preventive, promotive and curative services,” according to the statement.
Lingeshwaran had wanted to know the estimated cost to build and maintain a health clinic in a year; the amount of allocations spent in the last five years; and the proposal to outsource health clinic services as a more cost-effective measure.
On a different matter, the Health Ministry in response to a question from Senator Datin Ros Suryati Alang, who wanted to know the preparations to face any pandemic threat and latest developments in the production of locally made vaccines, said the ministry was implementing various preparedness measures.
“Among measures is building a National Centre for Disease Control on par with the Centres for Disease Control and Prevention, in the United States, as well as in other countries,” according to the statement.
“This project was approved by the Economic Planning Unit under the Fourth Rolling Plan (2019-2020) of the 11th Malaysia Plan, with a total cost of RM500 million to be built on a 20-acre site located in Bandar Enstek, Negeri Sembilan.”
Additionally, the ministry is also implementing continuous improvements in standard operating procedures as well as guidelines related to preparedness and response to pandemics at all levels.
The ministry added that the two types of Covid-19 vaccines, namely inactivated virus and mRNA technology, which the ministry is developing through research at the Institute of Medical Research, are expected to take five to seven years before they can be used.
“This is because the vaccines produced must be proven to be effective and safe, that is, after passing phase one (and then) to three clinical studies,” it said.
The development of this locally made vaccine is jointly led by the Science, Technology and Innovation Ministry and the Health Ministry, and involves collaboration between various government and private agencies. – July 31, 2024