Improving Healthcare Delivery A Focus Under Ninth Plan

PUTRAJAYA, Jan 19 (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry will focus on disease prevention and enhancement of the healthcare delivery system under the Ninth Malaysia Plan (2006-2010), Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said Thursday.
He said the main challenge in achieving that target was the need to change the attitude of the ministry's staff to a more positive one.
"In realising this objective, compartmentalised thinking will have to be discarded," he said in his speech at the awarding of the MS ISO 9001:2000 certification to Putrajaya Hospital, here.
The text of his speech was read out by the ministry's secretary-general, Datuk Dr Mohamed Nasir Mohd Ashraf.
Dr Chua said the ministry also needed various resources, infrastructure, systems and technology of quality.
He said retention of a static frame of mind would only stifle the efforts, vision and mission of the ministry to provide the best service possible to its clients.
Dr Chua said he wanted staff of the ministry to be prepared to face not only an increase in the number of clients but also their greater demands and aspirations.
"The prerequisite to achieving this objective is a paradigm shift from the old system of administration to a more proactive, responsive-to-change, flexible and client-oriented administration," he said.
On the MS ISO 9001:2000 awarded to the Putrajaya Hospital, he said he hoped that it would be a catalyst for the hospital to enhance the quality of the healthcare delivery service in accordance with the needs of the people.
The hospital is the third institution under the Kuala Lumpur Federal Territory Health Department to receive the certification, after the Dental Division and the Putrajaya Health Office.