Easing their load: Onn Hafiz (middle) walking with state Health Department director Dr Mohtar Pungut Ahmad (left) and state health and unity committee chairman Ling Tian Soon (right) after visiting a ward at Hospital Sultan Ismail in Johor Baru. — THOMAS YONG/The Star
JOHOR BARU: The efficiency of two public hospitals here, Hospital Sultanah Aminah (HSA) and Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI), is set to get a boost with an additional 243 medical staff, including officers, says Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi.
The Johor Mentri Besar said the added medical officers and nurses will also help to ease the workload of the hospitals’ current staff.
“The Health Ministry will be sending 33 new staff to HSI by this week and another 60 in July while HSA is getting 150.
“With the reinforced workforce, it will ease the burden of existing staff and increase efficiency in the wards involved,” he told reporters after visiting HSI yesterday to check on the reopening of its two wards that were previously closed due to manpower shortage.
Onn Hafiz expressed his appreciation to the leadership at the federal level, especially to Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa and the Public Service Department (JPA), for having approved the addition of health workers in the state.
The state government, he said, has also allocated RM500,000 to increase the number of public parking lots at HSI and another RM100,000 to buy equipment including tables and chairs for the comfort of its staff and patients.
Onn Hafiz also said Dr Zaliha is scheduled to visit the hospitals tomorrow and the state government will take the opportunity to discuss the construction of a much-needed Hospital Sultanah Aminah 2.“We hope this matter can be resolved soon because Johor has become a health centre not only for patients from this state but also those from all over the country including Pahang, Negri Sembilan and Melaka.
“This is good joint cooperation between federal and state governments. I believe that with the leadership at the state level and cooperation at the federal level, we can achieve our targets,” he said.
