No let-up in improvement of 1Malaysia clinic services

TUMPAT: The Government will upgrade services offered at 1Malaysia clinics based on the needs of the population, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr S. Subramaniam.
He said the existing 309 1Malaysia clinics nationwide received overwhelming response from the rakyat, following continuous improvement made in terms of comfort and quality of service.
"All these clinics were initially set up to provide medical treatment for minor cases for the urban population.
"However, the scope of services was widened upon public request to include pre and post-natal care, vaccination for infants, family planning and treatment for stable chronic cases," he said when launching the Pasir Pekan 1Malaysia Clinic here today.
Dr Subramaniam said the government was targeting to establish 50 1Malaysia clinics nationwide each year to be focused mainly in urban areas with high population density comprising the urban poor.
He said the Pasir Pekan 1Malaysia Clinic was a model clinic which provided a variety of services, namely outpatient, maternal and childcare, dental, emergency care, pharmacy, laboratory, x-ray and rehabilitation.
"This is the first 1Malaysia clinic in the country equipped with various facilities. The clinic also has doctors, specialists, dental officers, pharmacists, x-ray technicians, medical laboratory technologists, paramedics and
other support personnel," he noted.
Based on records, a total of 30,526 patients or an average of 101 patients a day sought treatment at the Pasir Pekan 1Malaysia Clinic last year as compared to 14,976 patients in 2013.
Also present at the event were the ministry's secretary-general, Datuk Farida Mohd Ali, health deputy director-general Datuk Dr Lokman Hakim Sulaiman and Kelantan Health Department director, Datuk Dr Ahmad Razin Ahmad Mahir. – Bernama