Hot weather: MOH to announce immediately if schools need to be closed

 

The public has been told not to worry about the hot weather that is hitting several states now, as the health Ministry is monitoring the situation closely, said its minister Dzulkefly Ahmad.

He said the ministry will also announce school closures if there is a need to do so based on the study by Health director-general Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan.

"Don't worry, as soon as there is a situation like (closing schools), (we) will immediately make an announcement," he told the media after attending the Medical Devices Authority's (MDA) Excellent Service Award Ceremony today.

Dzulkefly said this when asked about the need to close schools due to hot weather and what Natural Resources and Environmental Sustainability Minister Nik Nazmi Nik Ahmad said yesterday that the hot weather following the El Nino phenomenon in the country is expected to continue until July.

He said the existing standard operating procedure in relation to hot weather including reducing outdoor activities in schools remains, with the Education Ministry and headmasters being instructed not to allow students to carry out outdoor activities if the temperature is at 35 degrees Celsius for three consecutive days as a preventive measure.

Graduate medical officers

In another development, Dzulkefly said the implementation plan to deal with the shortage of graduate medical officers (PPS) in district hospitals will be announced soon.

"Tonight (there is) an emergency meeting with the Health Ministry’s top management to deal with this matter (and) in a day or two, the implementation plan will be announced," he said.

On April 26, Dzulkefly reportedly ordered his ministry’s management at the central and state levels to examine the workload issue at the hospital as well as re-evaluate the actions that have been taken regarding the placement and working methods of PPS.

He said the country once went through a phase of dumping medical graduates between 6,000 and 7,000 per year but now there are less than 3,000 per year causing the number of PPS in hospitals to decrease.

At the ceremony, Dzulkefly also launched the Medical Devices Authority (MDA) strategic plan 2024-2028 in transforming the agency towards an international standard regulatory operation.

The plan, according to him reflects MDA's determination to be at the forefront of quality control, safety assurance and industry regulation.

- Bernama