PUTRAJAYA: Security at government-run hospitals will be tightened after a comprehensive review is completed, says Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad (pic).
The Health Minister said this comes after an incident where a 22-year-old was caught impersonating an assistant medical officer in Perlis recently.
“The matter is under investigation but such incidents still occur from time to time.
“So, we want to review and tighten the standard operating procedure to prevent a recurrence,” he told reporters after the ministry’s Hari Raya open house here yesterday.
On April 8, the youth was nabbed at the compound of Hospital Tuanku Fauziah in Kangar for impersonating an assistant medical officer.
Based on initial investigations, the man allegedly purchased the medical attire and a bag of medical equipment online.
Dzulkefly said the review would cover all aspects of security, including the availability of medical items being purchased online.
Asked if additional auxillary police personnel should be stationed at hospitals, he said this would be considered during the review.
On a separate matter, he said an announcement on the ePlacement system would be made soon.
“The review of the system and algorithm is at the final stage,” he said.
On March 17, the ministry postponed the placement selection for 2,245 permanent medical officer candidates due to technical issues with the ePlacement system.
The existing selection system (which uses the first-come first-served method) will also be replaced with a more transparent and fairer system based on merit and balancing supply and demand.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim held an hour-long meeting with Dzulkefly before attending the ministry’s open house.
Dzulkefly said Anwar wanted to be briefed on the ministry’s latest developments and reforms.
Among the issues discussed were public healthcare, including the Sarawak Cancer Centre and National Heart Institute as a centre of excellence for cardiac care.
Under Budget 2025, it was announced that the federal government would work with the state government to develop the Sarawak Cancer Centre, which is estimated to cost RM1bil.
