Dzulkefly said his ministry is currently in the process of shortlisting proposals from these private hospitals following a request for proposals (RFP) in February.
He said the outsourcing covers cardiothoracic surgery, medical imaging, cardiology services and nephrology to manage patient demand and reduce wait times at government hospitals and specialist centres.
“When our capacity can’t handle the number of patients or when the wait time becomes too long, we will outsource the services.
“The budget is around RM200 million, of which RM144 million is specifically for hospital outsourcing,” he told a press conference after launching the Shopee’s Mum’s Club programme in Puncak Alam here.
On June 4, the Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia (APHM) reiterated its offer to assist the government in conducting cardiac surgeries, in view of the lack of cardiothoracic surgeons at public hospitals.
APHM president Dr Kuljit Singh said there were seven private cardiac surgery facilities in the Klang Valley, five centres in Penang and six private institutions in the southern region staffed with 10 to 15 senior cardiac surgeons, the majority of whom were trained via the parallel pathway programme.
Separately, Dzukefly urged e-commerce platforms to comply with the safety regulations set by the National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency (NPRA), medical device authority and pharmacy enforcement division.
“From time to time, I’m aware there are complaints against food supplements, medicine or cosmetic products from these platforms but that shouldn’t be happening,” he said.
He added that the NPRA was constantly monitoring products sold on all platforms and would request the removal of any products not complying with the rules.
Meanwhile, on the food poisoning reported at a school in Gombak last Saturday, Dzulkefly said the ministry had found salmonella in the food samples.
He said 11 victims were still receiving treatment for the infection. All of them were reported in stable condition and with no serious symptoms.
“This salmonella poisoning is unique. In this particular case, it was acute poisoning and happened faster than usual.
“Normally, it takes six to eight hours (for symptoms to appear) but in this one, one of the victims died within two hours. This could be due to massive toxicity due to salmonella poisoning.”
A total of 82 people, or 33% of the 247 who consumed the food after attending a religious programme at the school, experienced symptoms. Two others who consumed the food later died.
They started showing symptoms of food poisoning after consuming a breakfast of fried noodles and eggs, which had “changed in taste and appearance”.