'What's happening to govt hospitals?'

A former Health minister has rapped the Health minister Liow Tiong Lai over rising number of complaints that Malaysians were being denied healthcare services in government clinics.

"Liow! Where are you? You must clarify and explain what is going on in your ministry?" said Chua Jui Meng, the Johor PKR chairman who once served as Health minister from 1995 to 2004.

Chua cited the complaint highlighted by Centre for Policy Initiatives that a government pensioner that he was denied a normal blood test check-up in a clinic in Negri Sembilan because such a service was no longer available at government clinics and hospitals in the state.

"It defies logic that a crisis such as this can occur in a peaceful and prosperous country like ours. If we were a war zone like Gaza in Palestine then it could make better sense that blood tests and medicines could not be provided. How is it possible that our situation in Negeri Sembilan has become akin to that in a conflict zone?" the retiree reportedly wrote in his complaint letter.

Chua questioned if the situation was deliberately created to "enrich the private sector healthcare providers who will then make quick bucks on blood tests?"

"If the government can just squander away RM250 million on 'Cow Minister' Shahrizat’s family, I don’t see why there should be any problem providing sufficient basic healthcare to the people," he added.

Chua further reminded that the government was duty-bound to provide basic medical treatment and healthcare services to the poor and low-income families.

He also pointed out the long queues at government clinics and hospitals in East Malaysia.

"It only tells us that the ealth ministry’s efficiency and services have declined drastically in the last decade," he said.

Earlier, the president of Federation of Private Medical Practitioners’ Association Malaysia Dr Steven Chow said the government's 1Malaysia Clinics must fully serve the urban poor.

Chow had described the RM20 million allocated for 70 additional 1Malaysia clinics under the 2013 Budget as insufficient.

-Harakahdaily