IPOH: The Perak government will carry out a study to determine which village clinics will remain open, says health committee chairman A. Sivaneesan.
He said this was necessary because some of these clinics had very low patient volume and offered limited services.
“For example, on Jan 1, the Batu 8 village clinic in Tanjung Tualang will be closed permanently as it only gets three or four patients a day," he told a press conference on the sidelines of the state assembly sitting here on Tuesday (Dec 27).
"The request to close the clinic was made by the state Health Department and the Health Ministry approved it on Oct 20.
"However, do not be worried as the Tanjung Tualang health clinic is just about 5km away."
He added that the village clinic building will then be used as a base for the SK Tanjung Tualang medical team since the school is close by.
“I will also visit the Tanjung Tualang clinic on Jan 1 to assess the situation. I may make surprise visits to other village clinics as well," he said.
Sivaneesan said any closures would not be carried out on short notice so as not to jeopardise the welfare of the clinics' patients.
On a separate note, he said the state government was working towards making Hospital Kampar a reality within five years.
“Talks have been going on for years. We have just identified the site for construction which is at Kampung Changkat Baru.
“The land is partly owned by the state and a further 11 lots belong to individuals. The total value of the land is RM1.25mil.
“People in Kampar have been waiting for a hospital for years. I will make sure that it becomes a reality within five years,” he said.
