MOH Plans Cottage Hospital Concept To Improve Healthcare Access In Remote Areas

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 28 (Bernama) -- The Ministry of Health (MOH) plans to introduce the cottage hospital concept by upgrading selected health clinics in rural areas to expand access to healthcare services for local communities.

Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the initiative would involve upgrading certain facilities, including observation wards, at health clinics in areas with limited access to hospitals.

He said the facilities identified so far include the Tekek Health Clinic on Pulau Tioman, Pahang, the Telupid and Nabawan health clinics in Sabah, and the Sungai Asap Health Clinic in Sarawak.

“The initiative aims to improve access to appropriate inpatient care, bring healthcare services closer to communities, particularly in rural and remote areas, and reduce the need for long-distance travel to hospitals, thereby helping to ease hospital congestion

“This initiative reflects the MOH’s commitment to developing a more integrated, responsive and sustainable healthcare delivery system while ensuring equitable access to healthcare services regardless of geographical location,” he said when winding up the debate on the Supply Bill 2027 at the policy stage for his ministry in the Dewan Rakyat today.

Dzulkefly said the concept has also been adopted in several countries, including the United Kingdom, where selected rural health clinics have been upgraded with facilities such as observation wards.

Apart from the initiative, he said efforts were ongoing to restructure the roles and functions of primary healthcare facilities, including rural clinics, community clinics and clinics at Urban Transformation Centres (UTCs), as well as to assess the need to upgrade, consolidate or establish new facilities based on population density and local healthcare needs.

Meanwhile, he said the ministry would expand the Hospital Services Outsourcing Programme (HSOP) from 14 to 16 service areas in 2027, supported by an increase in allocation from RM144 million this year to RM200 million next year.

Dzulkefly said the two additional services would be Mycobacterium tuberculosis culture testing and prenatal genetic testing.

He said the HSOP, which utilises private sector capacity, had successfully reduced patient waiting times by an average of two to 10 weeks while helping to ease congestion at government hospitals.

“For example, the waiting time for coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) surgery has been reduced by 18 weeks, from 50 to 32 weeks, while that for radiotherapy for prostate cancer has fallen from 21 to eight weeks.

“The waiting time for cardiac computed tomography (CT) scans has also been reduced from 24 to 13 weeks,” he said.

Dzulkefly also said the number of patients benefiting from the HSOP had risen by 22.2 per cent to 51,159 across 14 service areas, compared with 41,858 patients across 10 service areas previously.

In another development, he said the MOH was awaiting the full findings of the authorities’ investigation into the Flying Doctor Service (FDS) before presenting the matter to the Cabinet.

He said the ministry would provide further clarification on the matter in the Dewan Rakyat once the process was completed to ensure transparency.

The Dewan Rakyat sitting will resume tomorrow.

--BERNAMA