Tuesday, August 19, 2008

Tee Keat: Errant clinics a snag to eKesihatan

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: Commercial drivers who pay off medical practitioners to pass their check-ups for their permits are the biggest hurdles to the revamp of the eKesihatan system.
“I view this with great concern and I’ve sent my boys to the ground to see how these people do it,” said Transport Minister Datuk Ong Tee Keat.
He added that errant medical practitioners were usually clinics and it also involved runners acting on the drivers’ behalf.
“Yes, it is corruption. When I talked to the (transport) operators, they said they don’t want to be the target of a witch-hunt,” he said, adding that the corporate sector needed to take greater responsibility to follow health, safety and environmental regulations.
He was speaking to the press after launching the second Sweden-Malaysia International Road Safety Seminar here yesterday.
Ong also said the test formats of the system and the fee structure would need to be revised to revive the eKesihatan system.
“There are several formats for the test. Do they serve the purpose or not?” he asked, adding that the Health Ministry and Koperasi Doktor Malaysia were consulted on the project.
Ong also said the fees related to eKesihatan would be revised to make it more affordable for the drivers and the corporate sector.
He said the revamp of the online system would take time as associations related to commercial vehicles and the medical practitioners had to be consulted.
The eKesihatan system would allow appointed clinics to send medical reports of commercial vehicle drivers directly to the Road Transport Department.
The system to be implemented in October last year was suspended pending further discussions.

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