Materia Medica Malaysiana

Study on clinics in densely populated areas

JOHOR BARU: The Health Ministry is conducting a study on the ability of clinics and polyclinics in densely populated areas to cope with the increased demand for health care.

Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said some clinics and polyclinics here and in Jinjang and Kepong in Kuala Lumpur could no longer function effectively because of rapid population growth.

He said his ministry would have to identify places to build bigger clinics while upgrading existing facilities and services.

“The increasing development in residential areas could be the reason the clinics are overcrowded as more and more residents are seeking medical attention.

“The problem is due to a weakness in planning. We will look into the matter and take this into account in planning the 9th Malaysia Plan,” he told reporters after visiting the site for the new Taman Universiti clinic here on Friday.

The RM10mil clinic, which would be equipped with facilities such as an X-ray unit, pharmacy and laboratories, is expected to treat up to 500 patients daily.

Dr Chua said the imbalance in provision of health facilities resulted in some areas having a single polyclinic and only one doctor serving a population of 150,000 while other areas with a similar population were served by a hospital.

He cited the Taman Ungku Tun Aminah clinic here as an example of a clinic that was seeing too many patients a month.

He said he had met the state executive councillors and asked them to compile a report on the health needs in their states.

There are about 4,000 government clinics and polyclinics in the country which serve people living within a 5km radius.

“By paying RM1 at these clinics, a person can benefit from the health services there, which is evidence of our success in providing affordable health care,” Dr Chua said.