ISKANDAR PUTERI: Over RM66mil has been spent by the Johor government to upgrade public healthcare facilities in the state in the past four years despite it being a federal matter, says Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
The caretaker Johor Mentri Besar said he cannot ignore the issues related to public healthcare as it affects the lives of four million Johoreans.
“I know healthcare is under the Federal Government’s responsibilities but I cannot keep quiet and turn a blind eye.
“If we follow the old ways, we do not need to fork out RM66mil but we have been going to the ground to address and improve the issues and situation,” he said before launching the state-level World Nurse’s Day celebration yesterday.
Onn Hafiz also added that he will continue supporting the state Health Department, including pursuing vacancies of doctors and nurses to be filled as soon as possible.
At the event, he also announced an allocation of RM500,000 to the state’s nurses and RM100,000 for medical assistants in appreciation for their hard work and dedication.
Earlier, caretaker state health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon said the RM66mil spent throughout the administration’s tenure covered upgrades to healthcare infrastructure, toilets, pantries and surau as well as the purchase of medical and non-medical equipment.
He said among their notable efforts were decanting certain services from the Gelang Patah health clinic to new premises late last year, which has helped to disperse patient volume and ease the burden of healthcare workers.
