PETALING JAYA: Private hospitals have expressed hope that newly-appointed Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad will continue the work of reforming healthcare in the country.
Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh expressed appreciation for former health ministers and hoped Dr Dzulkefly's return would continue their efforts.
"APHM wishes to congratulate the newly-appointed Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who served a 22-month tenure in the Pakatan Harapan government beginning in 2018," Dr Kuljit said in a statement on Wednesday (Dec 13).
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He added that it will be refreshing to see the new leadership take on and continue the work of reforming healthcare in Malaysia through numerous efforts, notably the Healthcare White Paper which Khairy Jamaluddin launched and followed through by Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
"We from the private hospitals are sure that Dr Dzulkefly's return would strengthen the strong cooperation and partnership with private hospitals that has been in place since the (Covid-19 pandemic) in 2020," said Dr Kuljit.
"His predecessor Dr Zaliha faced difficulty as the country was only emerging from the epidemic last year, and there was a lot of instability that needed to be balanced both economically and politically," he added.
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He added that the association expressed its heartfelt gratitude to Dr Zaliha for her efforts to have private hospitals hire foreign nurses for a year in order to sustain their facilities owing to a severe shortage of locally trained nurses.
"This was a timely move during her tenure.
"Dr Zaliha was also key in initiating medical service outsourcing, which would help cut waiting times and congestion at public hospitals while promoting the development of the local pharmaceutical and medical device industries.
"Another step during her term that was highly appreciated was the interaction with stakeholders on medicine price transparency.
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"We hope Dr Dzulkefly will take proactive steps to let the Public-Private Partnership programme progress so that private hospitals can assist patients who have been waiting for treatment for lengthy periods," he added.
He said private hospitals are eager to investigate a cloud-based clinic management system in public clinics, which will facilitate referral to private hospitals to take over some cases at an agreed-upon cost.
"We hope Dr Zaliha will be able to guide the Federal Territories portfolio to greater heights, particularly in collaboration with her former ministry in managing some of the health concerns confronting the urban poor.
"(Kuala Lumpur's) residents will benefit from the synergy in this area," he added.
Dr Dzulkefly was appointed Health Minister in Tuesday's (Dec 12) Cabinet reshuffle, while Dr Zaliha was redesignated Minister in the Prime Minister's Department (Federal Territories).
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