Sungai Petani Hospital Advised To Be More Friendly With Patients

SUNGAI PETANI, Sept 25 (Bernama) -- Administrators of Sungai Petani Hospital have been advised to treat their patients with greater warmth to avoid misunderstanding that can blow up into public controversies like what happened recently.
Deputy Information Minister Datuk Zainuddin Maidin said he concluded from a meeting with the administrators today that recent media reports of cases in the hospital arose from misunderstanding by patients who then complained to the press.
"This problem can be avoided if the hospital staff adopt a more friendly attitude to the patients and their families by giving them accurate information.
"To the journalists, I urge them to confirm the facts with the hospital authorities so that their reports will be truthful, fair and balanced," he told reporters after a one-hour meeting with the hospital's director, Dr Harif Fadzilah Che Hashim, and several other administrators.
Zainuddin said recent reports carried by the media had damaged the reputation of the hospital.
He said the public was easily influenced by media reports and negative reports about the hospital could cause people to lose confidence in it although it had been providing good services before this.
Dr Harif Fadzilah said he hoped the recent problems between the hospital and the media would be resolved.
He said the hospital was taking measures to correct its weaknesses, and called for the media's co-operation to restore public confidence in the hospital's services.