PUTRAJAYA, Nov 15 — The Ministry of Health (MOH) is preparing its response to the recommendations by the Public Accounts Committee (PAC) on the Covid-19 Outbreak Management report, including on the ventilator issue.

Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said that it would be submitted to the PAC next month.

“We have given our full cooperation to the PAC, providing all the information on matters that are of concern to the committee, and if there is anything else the PAC needs, we are ready to provide the necessary information,” she told a press conference after opening the ministry’s Integrity Day and Corruption Free Pledge here today.

Yesterday, PAC chairman Datuk Mas Ermieyati Samsudin said PAC had sent a letter to MOH to respond to its recommendations of the Covid-19 Outbreak Management report: Expired Vaccines, Faulty Ventilators and Surplus Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) that was published last Oct 30.

The PAC report revealed there was no contract or agreement drawn up between MOH and Pharmaniaga Logistic Sdn Bhd (PLSB) on the procurement of ventilators during the Covid-19 pandemic in 2020.

The report also revealed that the ministry’s legal adviser was not consulted during the process of preparing the PLSB appointment letter and since there was no written agreement between MPH and PLSB, no party can be held responsible for the faulty ventilators.

Regarding sending the Malaysian medical team to Gaza, Dr Zaliha said ministry officers who are keen to join the team can submit their applications online.

Last Monday, the ministry, in a statement, stated that it is ready and has identified the medical aid team that can be deployed to the Gaza Strip, Palestine, once approval is given.

In another development, Dr Zaliha said the ministry expects 511 dilapidated clinics to be repaired by the end of this year involving an allocation of RM111 million.

“For this year, we are aiming to repair 436 clinics with the RM111 million allocation, but due to savings and good governance, we are able to increase the number of clinics by another 75, but with the same budget,” she added. — Bernama