New Standards For Hospital Buildings

KUALA LUMPUR, March 29 (Bernama) -- The construction of hospitals will now have to adhere to new standards set by the Health Ministry to ensure, among others, the safety of the building.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said Thursday the ministry would begin to introduce 64 "must comply" standards in the construction of new hospitals under the Ninth Malaysia Plan.
The new standards were the result of studies carried out on the design and construction of health care facilities in Australia, the United States and Britain, he said, adding that it was time for Malaysia to have its own standard.
The government had invested RM20 million to prepare the 64 new standards which would place future local hospitals on par with those of developed countries, he told reporters after opening a seminar on medical gas piping entitled "There is No Short Cut Towards Safety" here.
Initially, the focus would be on the construction of the operation theatre, which is the heart of the hospital, to ensure that the guidelines and standards were adhered to, he said.
Dr Abdul Latiff, however, denied that the move to impose such standards was due to problems faced by several newly-built hospitals in the country like the Sultan Ismail Hospital in Pandan, Johor Baharu, which had to be closed after three months in 2004 due to fungus growth and other building defects.
The one-day seminar was organised by Rasma Corporation Sdn Bhd, a leading bumiputera construction company which was involved in the piping of medical gases in several hospitals, including the Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia Hospital, Selayang Hospital and University Hospital.