“We are investigating this,” said an aide to health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad in the ministry’s WhatsApp group for the media.

In a Facebook post yesterday, a social media user said she registered at HKL’s orthopaedic clinic at 9am but only finished receiving treatment at 3pm.

She also included a photo of a sign in Malay which said “There aren’t many doctors. The waiting time to see a doctor will be more than six hours”.

When she asked why patients had to undergo such a lengthy wait before seeing a specialist at HKL, she was told that many had resigned.

The public health sector has consistently grappled with issues such as a lack of manpower and overcrowded hospitals or health clinics.

Last Friday, Dzulkefly said a proposal to allow contributors to use their EPF Account 2 to pay for medical insurance premiums would expand access to faster, higher-quality private healthcare for Malaysians.

“It doesn’t come out of their pockets. Only about 1% of their EPF Account 2 would be used to pay for insurance. This is the best way,” he was quoted as saying by Bernama.