PUTRAJAYA, July 12 — Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said today that he was open to views and ready to explain any issues related to his ministry.
He added that he accepted criticism as a challenge, not an attack, and that his ministerial post was not a privilege but a heavy duty entrusted by the people.
“Between ‘Shape up or ship out’, I choose to shape up, not with slogans but with work as I believe correcting the system is more important than building perceptions in leading the Health Ministry.
“I don’t promise that everything can be solved, but I do promise, we will listen, we will act and we won’t keep quiet,” he said in a statement after a news editor raised concerns about whether the Health Minister would be brave enough to answer all issues about his ministry, including the lack of nurses, the on-call allowance and the ePlacement system.
He also shared that his ministry had completed the amendments to the Medicine Act 1971 and the Medicine Regulations 2025 and resolved the registration of Parallel Pathway specialists.
The ministry also managed to enforce the the Control of Smoking Products for Public Health Act 2024 and created the Suka-Sama-Suka Posting Swap for ministry officers, he said.
“The ministry also approved additional allocations for hospitals, new and dilapidated clinics as well as strengthened permanent appointments of doctors, nurses and health officials,” he added. — Bernama
