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Thursday 10 June 2010

DG confirms change at orang asli hospital

The Sun by Alyaa Alhadjri

KUALA LUMPUR (June 9, 2010): Orang Asli Affairs Department (JHEOA) director-general Datuk Sani Mistam has confirmed that there have been changes to the top management of the orang asli hospital in Gombak.

In response to theSun's report yesterday, Sani in a statement said that the hospital's director Dr Akmal Dahaman has accepted an offer from the Health Ministry to undergo a four-year Federal Training Award (Rehabilitation Treatment) at University Malaya from this month onwards.

"Therefore, he was not 'replaced' as mentioned in the report, but he left because he is furthering his studies," Sani said.

"During the duration of his course, Dr Akmal will be stationed at Seremban's Hospital Tuanku Jaafar, as well as at Universiti Malaya," he said.

Sani added that Akmal's successor to fill the now vacant post of hospital-director will be chosen by the Health Ministry "in due time".

Akmal, who had served for eight years as a medical-officer at the hospital, was promoted to the position of hospital director in March this year, taking over from Dr Saaiah Abdullah.

Sani also reiterated that the placement and positioning of a medical officer with JHEOA is up to the Health Ministry and as such, any placements, transfers or intake is "the absolute prerogative of the Health Ministry and not of JHEOA."

He added that the hospital's former medical-officer Dr Selvaa Vathany Pillai's transfer to Kedah in March was due to her promotion from medical officer grade U41 to grade U44.

On the show-cause letter issued to Selvaa, Sani said that Selvaa was issued the letter because she had gone against Regulation 19(1) of the Civil Servant Regulations 1993 when she went public with her allegations against the hospital.

"The regulation prohibits Selvaa as a public servant from making a verbal or written statement without prior written approval from the Health Minister," he said.

"She was also required to reply to the letter within a specified period of time, but at this point, she has not yet done so."

It was previously reported that Selvaa in December last year had written a report detailing alleged mismanagement of the hospital and its impact on the orang asli healthcare.

She then went public with her allegations during a press conference held at the Bar Council on Feb 11. -- theSun

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