Faulty hospital equipment

NST: HI-TECH and expensive medical equipment in government hospitals nationwide are not in working order and in need of repair "most of the time", the Health Ministry has revealed.
Acknowledging this at the Dewan Negara yesterday, Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said the situation "could not be helped" as the equipment were overused.
The equipment referred to included CT scanners and MRI machines.
"The machines are often used over and above their optimum level, so much so that even though they are maintained properly, they will still break down," he said when replying to Senator Datuk Roslan Awang Chik.
Dr Abdul Latiff said the Ministry would continue monitoring the concessionaires involved to ensure they maintain the quality of their services.
"When the equipment breaks down, we will send patients to private hospitals with the costs borne by the concessionaire responsible."