Women and Child Hospital project delayed

NST: The completion of the Women and Child Hospital project in the Kuala Lumpur Hospital (HKL) complex has been delayed due to the current economic situation.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad said the Economic Planning Unit of the Prime Minister’s Department would have to decide whether or not to continue the programme or postpone it to the 10th Malaysia Plan.
Speaking after handing out Hari Raya gift packets at the maternity ward on Wednesday, he said phase one had been completed with the acquisition of land.
Under phase two, the existing 250 beds in the maternity hospital would be increased to 600.
Asked about staff support, he said there were ongoing programmes to train the nursing staff and specialists.
Currently, some 40 to 50 babies are delivered daily, accounting for some 16,000 babies annually.
By Wednesday afternoon, the stork delivered 11 babies — five girls and six boys.
Dr Latiff said that the 2,350-bed HKL, the largest in Southeast Asia, aims to be a centre of excellence and provide from primary to tertiary healthcare to patients.
Meanwhile, HKL chief dietician Tan Yoke Hwa advised all new mothers to practice exclusive breast-feeding as mother’s milk was the best and most complete food for babies.
“The biggest resistance to the breast-feeding programme is the lack of motivation among mothers and their giving up easily when insufficient milk is produced.
“Breast-fed babies have the least health problems as human milk has a lot of antibodies that formula milk cannot provide,” she said.