Tapah: The Ministry of Health (MOH) aims to place emergency medical specialists at all hospitals within three years. Its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, stated that to meet this goal, the ministry has initiated efforts to place emergency medicine specialists in all hospitals, including non-specialist ones, in phases.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Dzulkefly emphasized that one of his strategies is to make hospitals more appealing by ensuring at least two specialists are available in hospitals currently without specialists. These specialists include an emergency physician and an internal medicine specialist, enhancing the level of care and treatment options available to residents around these hospitals.

Speaking at a press conference, Dzulkefly highlighted that the MOH plans to deploy emergency medicine specialists in ten non-specialist hospitals across the nation by August 2025. Currently, emergency medicine specialists have been stationed in 15 hospitals including Jitra Hospital, Kuala Nerang Hospital, Sik Hospital, and Yan Hospital in Kedah, as well as others like Sungai Bakap Hospital in Penang and Kuala Kangsar Hospital in Perak.

Additionally, the MOH has decided to permanently place an emergency medicine specialist at Tapah Hospital starting May 1, 2025. This move is part of the broader strategy to ensure that even district hospitals are equipped with specialist expertise.

In a related development, Dzulkefly announced the reopening of the 24-hour emergency service at Tanjong Malim Health Clinic from April 15. This decision was driven by high demand from local residents, and the service will initially operate using existing staff through an active on-call system.

The cessation of the 24-hour emergency service at the clinic had previously faced criticism from residents due to the inconvenience of traveling to the Slim River Hospital. Dzulkefly expressed his hope that reinstating the service would address residents’ concerns and improve access to emergency care.