Health officials inspect illegal abortion ‘dens’

NST: YONG PENG: Officers from the Health Ministry, on a check of premises carrying out illegal abortions, inspected a clinic and a shop along Jalan Yong Peng-Air Hitam yesterday.
The seven-member team from the ministry’s Medical Practice Division based in Putrajaya, was led by its director Dr Mohamed Khairi Yakub.
"Illegal abortion is a serious offence and we are launching an immediate investigation into the case," Dr Khairi said yesterday.
The clinic was being investigated under the Medical Act 1971 and Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 to see if it had registered the practice, he added.
"We are also investigating if the medical practitioner employed by the clinic has been performing illegal abortions at a shop lot about two blocks away."
A four-member team from the state Health Department Medical Practice Control Unit (Ukap), based in Johor Baru, was also present during the inspection.
Dr Khairi urged those with information on illegal abortions and other unlawful medical practices to contact Ukap assistant director Dr Haslina Zamani at 07-2245188 or the Putrajaya office at 03-88831039.
The investigation was launched after the New Straits Times reported on Friday that a shop, sandwiched between a car accessory outlet and a workshop within a row of two-storey shop houses along Jalan Yong Peng-Air Hitam, contained a makeshift surgery room for illegal abortions conducted by a doctor employed at a clinic located about two blocks away.