GEORGE TOWN: The Health Ministry is finalising a standard format for private hospitals to report deaths arising from anaesthetic, medical and surgical procedures.
Health Minister Datuk Seri Liow Tiong Lai said the reporting of such assessable deaths was part of a quality assurance programme that had already been practised in government hospitals.
“There is a need for the quality assurance programme to be carried out in the private hospitals, as provided for under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998,” he said in his speech at the opening of the new 10-storey wing of the LohGuanLye Specialists Centre (LSC) here yesterday.
Liow’s speech was read out by the ministry’s medical practice division director Dr Nooraini Baba.
It was reported earlier this year that the reporting of assessable deaths had been implemented since the Act was passed in 1998 and its accompanying regulations in 2006, but a standard format had yet to be formulated at that time.
Liow also stressed the importance of patients’ safety and quality of care.
“This is not only to prolong a patient’s life but more significantly to improve the quality of life,” he said.
LSC managing director Dr Kelvin Loh said the centre spent between RM80mil and RM100mil on the new wing, including equipment and facilities.
Among the new features are a state-of-the-art cancer unit, two floors of executive and premier wards, an electronic medical record system, a rehabilitation department and one-stop centre for children with diverse needs and a multi-storey car park.
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