Kedah Govt Hospitals To Set Up Complaints Bureau

SUNGAI PETANI, Sept 19 (Bernama) -- A special customer complaints bureau will be set up at all government hospitals in Kedah to solve any problems or cases involving patients within three days.
Kedah Deputy Director of Health Dr Hasnah Ismail said apart from the counter, hospitals were required to display the list of contact numbers of directors, medical officers and staff nurses at all wards.
"We will try to solve any complaints of cases or problems faced by customers and patients within three days and if we fail to do so, customers can make public their complaints to the media", she said at a meet-the-media session at Hospital Sungai Petani (HSP) here Monday.
The session was held to seek solutions to HSP's shortcomings that were exposed by the media recently. In June, a newly born baby was kidnapped from the ward in the hospital followed by a couple who claimed that HSP staff were negligent causing their baby to switch with someone else's last month.
HSP's controversies continued when a couple claimed HSP declared their baby girl's gender as uncertain early this month. The latest incident involved a wife who claimed she was forced to give birth to a 28-week old dead foetus in an open area in a maternity ward surrounded by a few nurses on Tuesday.
Dr Hasnah said for a start, both measures would be carried out at HSP followed by other hospitals in Kedah.
She urged HSP to improve their services for customers although recent controversies had affected the staff performance.
Hasnah assured the media that they would not be barred from seeing or contacting any hospital director for comments regarding customers' complaints.