New rules for confinement care

PUTRAJAYA: Post-delivery confinement care centres that do not offer medical facilities must register with the Welfare Department or risk being shut down, said Datin Paduka Chew Mei Fun.

The Deputy Women, Family and Community Development Minister said this was decided at a post-Cabinet meeting two weeks ago.

“It had always been a grey area with confinement care centres as we were not sure if they should be under our ministry or the Health Ministry.

“However, we have now decided that centres without medical facilities should be registered with the Welfare Department.

“This is to ensure services provided to new mothers are safe and of the highest quality,” Chew told reporters after launching the Tai Chi Journey Global Tour South-East Asia (Malaysia Station) seminar here.

Chew said the ministry will first take a more advisory approach towards the centres in getting them to register.

“If they are not registered with the Welfare Department, we will advise them nicely to do so.

“However, if they still do not comply, we will take action, including shutting down their centres.

“We encourage these centres to offer such services but they must also be monitored by the department to ensure their services are safe,” she added.

Chew said the decision was also made following the case of a 10-month-old baby who was abused in a confinement care centre in Cheras, which doubled as a children’s nursery.

“We have shut the place down and the case is under investigation,” she said.

On the seminar, Chew said some 50 tai chi practitioners from Malaysia, Indonesia, Brunei and Singapore have gathered here to learn from China’s renowned master He Junlong.

“Master He Junlong is on a tour to 60 countries to promote tai chi, and this is also part of the Belt and Road initiative.

“Participants will not just learn about the martial art itself but the philosophy and thinking behind it, which can be applied to business and careers,” she said.