JOHOR BARU: There are 1,028 privately-managed care centres across the country that have not been registered with the Welfare Department, says Women, Family and Community Development Minister Datuk Seri Rina Mohd Harun.
This was uncovered after the department conducted a “whitening” process on all care centres for children, persons with disabilities (OKU) and the elderly between February and March, she said.
“The ministry issued the whitening process order to all care centres in the country in January. From February to March, we identified 1,028 unregistered centres and 1,910 registered centres.
“From the 1,028 unregistered centres, 38 have just been approved, 57 have been shut down, eight were seized, 35 given compound notices and prosecution was launched against one centre.
“The care centres involved are not managed by the Welfare Department but by NGOs or the private sector,” she told reporters after visiting Rumah Kanak Kanak Mini Ulu Tiram here yesterday.
“My ministry is working to resolve issues that will be presented to the Cabinet special committee for protecting vulnerable groups.”
The committee was set up by Prime Minister Datuk Seri Ismail Sabri Yaakob to safeguard the welfare of the people, especially children, OKU, women and senior citizens.
“It will ensure all care centres are run in accordance with requirements stipulated under the Care Centres Act 1993,” said Rina.
“At the same time, this committee will also look into the operations of religious educational institutions like tahfiz centres that are not registered and not managed properly.”On a separate matter, she said the shelter home belonging to Pertubuhan Kebajikan Rumah Bonda Kuala Lumpur was sealed as it was not registered with her ministry.
“We sealed the place as no application to register was submitted to the Welfare Department, the Fire and Rescue Department and the local council, which are the three main technical government agencies tasked with monitoring such centres.
“These are the terms and conditions set by the Women, Family and Community Development Ministry that must be fulfilled by any NGO if it wishes to run a welfare centre,” she said.
Her ministry also did not receive any appeal from the association to register the premises even after action was taken to seal it.
“That is her right (to file for a court order) and we will follow this process (court action),” she said on the move by Rumah Bonda chairman and founder Siti Bainun Ahd Razali to file for a court order to unseal the premises after it had been left vacant for almost a year.
Rumah Bonda named the Kuala Lumpur Welfare Department director as the sole defendant in the legal action.
