Health Ministry to source for more funds

Star: KOTA TINGGI: Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai will appeal to the Ministry of Finance to allow his ministry to adopt the Private Financing Initiative (PFI) for urgent projects, after the ministry’s budget was slashed.
Liow said that through PFI, the ministry could obtain enough funds to carry out vital projects at government hospitals where some of the development plans were recently postponed.
“A total of RM300mil was cut from the ministry’s budget under the Ninth Malaysia Plan, pushing some projects to the Tenth Malaysia Plan.
“But from my visits to the hospitals, I found out that some of the projects need to materialise as soon as possible,” he said.
During his visit to the Hospital Kota Tinggi here yesterday for instance, he noted an urgent need for an emergency room.
Liow said it was not conducive for the hospital’s emergency room, outpatient waiting area and pharmacy to be in the same area but this was the case here.
“If an emergency case arises, it will cause panic among the public who are here to get their medication,” he said.
Liow also reminded the hospital employees to be caring to their patients and carry out their duties professionally.
He told them not to have a territorial mindset.
“Teamwork is very important because in the end, it is the entire performance of the hospital that is judged by the people,” he said.