Deputy prime minister Fadillah Yusof said the special task force, chaired by Chief Secretary Zuki Ali, involves several other agencies that will discuss improvement measures for implementation.

These include short, medium and long-term measures, as well as collaboration with the private medical sector, he said.

“Among others, on patient-sharing, those who don’t have a critical illness can seek treatment in private clinics.

“Similarly, patients who come at odd hours can be directed to nearby district health clinics, whose opening hours will be extended until midnight. This is among the short and medium-term measures,” he said.

He was responding to a question in the Dewan Rakyat from Oscar Ling (PH-Sibu), who wanted to know the measures taken to improve the quality of health services as overcrowding in government hospitals has become a growing concern.

According to Fadillah, the problem exists because the public prefers government hospitals for their quality services, in addition to the low cost compared to the fees charged by private hospitals.

“Although the government has made efforts to build new hospitals and upgrade old hospitals and health and rural clinics, overcrowding still occurs,” he said.

At the same time, he said, the overcrowded hospitals are a sign that many Malaysians do not practise a healthy lifestyle and, therefore, have to seek treatment.

He urged all MPs to work with the health ministry in promoting a healthy lifestyle among the people, as this can help reduce congestion and alleviate the burden on government hospitals.