No Extension For Private Medical Practitioners To Register, Says Chua

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 31 (Bernama) -- There will be no extension for private medical practitioners to register their clinics with the Health Ministry after Tuesday's deadline, Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek said.
"No extension. Enough time has been given. We have relaxed all the rules and regulations. The whole idea of the exercise is not to punish them. We just want to separate the real and the fake," he told reporters after attending the MCA presidential council meeting.
The registration is required under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 with Oct 31 set as the end of a six-month transitional period for clinics to apply for registration.
The Act was enforced on May 1 this year after it was enacted almost eight years ago.
Doctors failing to register their clinics are liable to be fined up to RM300,000 or six years' jail or both.
Only some healthcare facilities are exempted from the registration exercise. They include factory and hotel in-house clinics, estate and offshore clinics as well as those run by voluntary organisations and the Federation of Malaysian Family Planning Associations.
Dr Chua said he had not received the latest figures on the number of private medical practitioners who had applied to register their clinics but he believed the figures would be as high as 90 per cent.
"Up to yesterday, 82 per cent of the doctors have registered. I came to know this when my officer briefed me at 3pm yesterday. I'm sure by today it will be more as most of the doctors have been very cooperative," he said.
Dr Chua said professional bodies such as the Malaysian Medical Association and the Private Doctors' Association had come forward to help the ministry to register them.
"So the end result, I'm quite confident between 85 and 90 per cent clinics will be registered," he said.
He said his ministry would take into account the long break (Deepavali and Hari Raya holidays) for applications received after expiry of the deadline.
The Health Ministry, the medical practitioners and dentists have agreed to enforce the Act which stipulates the minimum standard of healthcare services with some adjustments.
The changes implemented include exemption for medical practitioners to install public telephones or have generator sets except for those performing major operations.