TANJONG KARANG, Feb 9 — The newly opened Tanjong Karang Hospital, which has been operating since October last year, will have 10 types of specialist services which will be introduced in phases, said Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.

She said the areas of expertise that the minor specialist hospital will provide to patients are surgery, emergency, general medicine, obstetrics and gynaecology, paediatrics, orthopaedics, anaesthesiology, radiology, pathology and oral and maxillofacial surgery.

Zaliha said since the Tanjung Karang Hospital started its operations, as much as RM1.5 million could be saved in terms of the costs of sending patients from the hospital to other specialist hospitals involving an estimated 3,000 patient referral cases.

"With its new status as a minor specialist hospital, it is hoped that it will reduce the number of cases referred to Sungai Buloh Hospital,” she told the media after the Tanjong Karang Hospital opening ceremony officiated by the Sultan of Selangor Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah today.

On the shortage of dentists in the country’s health services, Dr Zaliha said the Ministry of Health (MOH) would continue to increase efforts to place more dentists in government health facilities to tackle the overcrowding issue.

She said in 2021, a total of 154 dentists had been placed in government health facilities and the number nearly tripled last year with 477 dentists.

Dr Zaliha said MOH used various approaches to tackle the problem of overcrowding including accepting walk-in patients (drive-thru) at dental clinics adding that it will introduce community dental clinics to resolve the issue.

Asked about the long wait time in the emergency department of hospitals throughout the state, which was mentioned by the Selangor Ruler in his speech, Dr Zaliha said the ministry had drawn up several measures to address the problem including conducting an audit of relevant parties such as the hospital director to identify the problems faced and having lodging wards to house patients temporarily while waiting for the discharge process. — Bernama