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The Star

Govt finalising wait time plan

Issue at hospitals nationwide being reviewed in detail, says Zulkefly PUTRAJAYA: A plan to reduce frequent excessive waiting times at government hospitals nationwide is in the final phase of deve­lopment, says Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad ( pic ). He added that his ministry had been looking into resolving the long-standing issue since last year even before he took o­ver the minister's post. 'The matter is being reviewed in detail through enga­gement sessions with other relevant ministries and agencies and is in its final phase of dev­e­lopment. When it is ready, we will make an official announcement. 'But for now, we ask that the people give us time to be thoro­ugh in solving this key issue,' he said at a press conference at the Safe Food Expo here yesterday. Dzulkefly declined to confirm whether the long waiting times were caused by a shortage in medical personnel. Earlier in his speech, he said that the rate of food poisoning cases in Malaysia has dropped by more than 20% so far this year compared to 2024. He added that 204 food poisoning cases were reported as of May this year, compa­red to 707 cases repor­ted in 2024. 'This encouraging trend shows a slight decrease of 23% in food poisoning cases compared to the same period last year. We will continue our efforts to educate the public on the steps they can take to prevent food poisoning and hope to further enhance public knowledge on food safety. 'But we must remember that we ourselves are responsible for verifying the authenticity of information related to food safety and protecting ourselves from food poisoning,' he said. Dzulkefly added that the primary cause of food poisoning cases in the country are due to bacteria infections such as E. Coli and salmonella bacteria that is commonly found in undercooked or unsa­ni­tary food. He also said almost 2,000 eateries have managed to obtain Clean and Safe Recognition (BeSS) status, making the total number of eateries having the certificate to 13, 998 from 11,200 premises this year. He added that this 24.9% inc­rease marked a significant positive milestone in improving food safety in the country with a show of unity from businesses. 'This shows the growing commitment of various stakeholders in the food industry to ensure safer and higher-quality food for Malaysians,' he said.