More Clinics For Selangor In RMK-9

SHAH ALAM, Aug 23 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Health will build 31 health clinics and 21 community clinics in Selangor under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (RMK-9), said the Selangor state director of health, Dr Ang Kim Teng.
She said the increase in the level of health facilities was in line with the greater pace of economic development in Selangor.
As a matter of principle, she said the health ministry had emphasised the establishment of more health facilities in rural areas and in states which were less developed.
But as far as Selangor was concerned, she explained that health facilities for the rural folks were also being given serious attention in order to balance the needs of the people in the state.
"In fact, Selangor is equipped with good medical facilities by the government. At the same time, the private sector has also contributed to the increased level of good medical facilities. But we will continue to give strong emphasis on health facilities in Selangor," she said in an interview.
Dr Ang said up to 2004, a total of 201 medical facilities including hospitals, health clinics and rural clinics had been established in Selangor.
Selangor, she said, was among the states with a relatively higher number of health facilities.
Sarawak and Johor are the two states with the highest number with 363 medical establishments or facilities followed by Pahang (337), Sabah (311), Kedah (283) and Kelantan (272).
Dr Ang explained that although some rural clinics were closed down in Selangor, they had been replaced with health clinics and hospitals which provided better medical facilities.
When asked on the doctor-patient ratio in Selangor, she said it was at a satisfactory level and was among the best in the country.
In Selangor, the current doctor-patient ratio is at 1:1,512, almost at the level targeted by the health ministry at 1:1,377.
"We are confident that with the opening of three modern hospitals and the increase in the number of doctors in Selangor, the ratio can be increased," said Dr Ang.
The three new hospitals which are expected to open at the end of the year or by early next year at the latest are Hospital Serdang (620 beds), Hospital Sungai Buloh (620 beds) and Hospital Ampang (562 beds).
Up till 2003, Selangor has some 3,000 doctors in which about 65 percent were in the private sector.
When asked on the school dental services programme, Dr Ang said it was at an adequate level as there was no increase in the percentage of primary and secondary school pupils requiring treatment.
"In 2003, the percentage of primary school pupils not needing treatment was 71.1 percent and this was expected around 72.7 percent for 2004," she said.
As for secondary school pupils, the percentage not requiring treatment in 2003 was 72.8 percent and it was 74.3 percent in 2004.
In view of these achievements, Dr Ang said the medical and health services in the state had advanced at a rapid pace to be in line with the pace of development in Selangor into a developed state.
She said this could be seen from the improved level of medical and health facilities in Selangor when compared with other states and this also proved that the state had not only progressed economically but also in terms of its medical and health services.