Primary healthcare always been government priority

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Primary healthcare has always been the priority of the Government, said Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Chua Soi Lek.
Primary healthcare is medical and healthcare provided outside hospitals.
“In our healthcare delivery system, primary healthcare has always been the centre pillar of the system,” he said at the opening of the First Asean Regional Primary Care Conference here last night.
Dr Chua said under the 9th Malaysia Plan, 540 clinics would be built while static and mobile clinics would be introduced in urban centres.
“The Cabinet has approved 96 mobile clinics to be established in stages over the next few years. The mobile clinics will cater to the needs of the urban poor and the marginalised groups,” he said.
He also said the healthcare services had improved tremendously since independence.
Post-independence saw major improvements in the healthcare system, with major infrastructure developments including the building of clinics in rural areas, he said.
“One of the major policies of the ministry is that primary healthcare shall be the foundation and engine of the country's healthcare system,” Dr Chua added.