Health Ministry plans to revert to five-day work week

The Star

IT MAY soon be a thing of the past for civil servants in government hospitals to enjoy their current five-day week.

Sin Chew Daily reported that the Health Ministry was planning to revert the existing system to a six-day week in view of manpower shortage in government hospitals.

Since the implementation of five-day week last year, Health Minister Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek said it took a longer time for patients to receive treatment or undergo surgeries.

He also said the implementation had slowed down the hospitals’ operations.

Chua stressed that if the current situation did not improve, he was prepared to bring the matter to the Cabinet for discussion.

The daily also reported that administrative staff in the police force were involved in crime prevention.

This showed that the police were serious in combating crime, according to Kuala Lumpur deputy CID chief Asst Comm Khaw Kok Chin.

He said while the police were trying hard to contain crime, the public should also be involved in crime prevention efforts.

He said the ratio of one policeman to 669 people in the city clearly showed the lack of manpower in the police force.