Health Ministry seals deregistered MMC, MHC

The Mawar Medical Centre in Seremban.

SEREMBAN: The Health Ministry has sealed both the deregistered 98-bed Mawar Medical Centre (MMC) and Mawar Haemodialysis Centre (MHC) here.

A team from its headquarters in Putrajaya arrived at the premises at around 3.15pm Thursday (Feb 14) and asked all its employees to vacate the building which houses both facilities.

Centre chairman Datin Chua Lay Ping, who arrived at the premises after being told of the presence of ministry officers, was also not allowed to go up to her office.

When met later, Chua said a ministry official told her that both the centres would be shut down.

"They produced a warrant and asked the person-in-charge of the centre to sign it.

"We neither got a copy of the warrant nor do we know what were its contents," she told reporters.

Chua said her management team was surprised by the ministry's action.

She claimed that her employees were also told that they need not come to work on Friday (Feb 15).

"The team members merely told us that they are exercising their right to close down both the medical and dialysis centres.

"We never got any notice or letter from them before this to say they were taking over the centres," she said.

In November last year, the ministry had ordered the MMC to cease operations after all but one of its specialists resigned.

Although it was given two months to sort out its licensing issues, the management failed to comply and its licence was revoked on Jan 12.

The Federal Land Commissioner, which owns the 0.6ha plot on which both centres are located, then wrote to the management stating that it had apparently breached certain conditions of the 30-year lease.

The management was given a month to explain but had apparently failed to do so.

It is learnt that the commissioner has also asked the management to vacate the premises by next month for breaching lease conditions.

When asked on the fate of the dialysis patients coming for treatment on Friday, Chua said she had no knowledge if they would be attended to.

"I really don't know what happens now. I am not sure if they can come here for treatment tomorrow morning," she said.

Prior to this, Mentri Besar Datuk Seri Aminuddin Harun said the state health authorities would provide treatment for the affected patients.

Chua said her team will lodge a police report on the matter later Thursday.

"We need to put on record that they came here without our knowledge or notice.

"We also need to put on record that we did not terminate the services of our employees or told them to not come to work tomorrow," she added.