Mawar Haemodialysis Centre faces closure due to lack of funds

The Mawar Medical Centre in Seremban.

SEREMBAN: Mawar Haemodialysis Centre (MHC), which ranks among the country’s largest non-profit private dialysis centres, will be forced to stop treating its patients in two weeks as it does not have the funds to operate.

The MHC management said it will be forced to take the drastic measure to close its 13 centres as the Health Ministry has yet to approve an application for a new licence to operate its private wing, the Mawar Medical Centre (MMC).

The MHC, which provides treatment to 798 dialysis patients nationwide, is part financed by revenue generated by the MMC.

Centre chairman Datin Chua Lay Ping said if the management does not receive any news from the ministry in a fortnight, it will notify its patients to look for treatment elsewhere.

"Since the ministry ordered us to close the MMC in November, we have not been able to generate revenue to finance the MHC.

"So, now we will be forced to shut the dialysis centre as well as lay off our workers as we do not have the money to pay them their salaries for February," she told reporters on Thursday (Jan 31).

The Health Ministry had ordered the MMC to cease operations in November after all but one of its specialists resigned.

It was also given two months to sort out its licensing issues. However, the management failed to comply and its licence was revoked on Jan 12.

Since then, the management has appointed a third party to run the MMC but the ministry has yet to approve an application for a new licence.