KUALA KANGSAR: Sultan of Perak, Sultan Nazrin Muizzuddin Shah, today officially opened the Kuala Kangsar Health Clinic, here.
Present were Raja Permaisuri Perak Tuanku Zara Salim, Raja Muda Perak Raja Jaafar Raja Muda Musa, Raja Puan Besar Perak Raja Nazhatul Shima Idris Shah and Raja DiHilir Perak Raja Iskandar Dzulkarnain Idris Shah.
Also in attendance were Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad and Perak Menteri Besar Datuk Seri Saarani Mohamad.
The Kuala Kangsar Health Clinic building was built under the 11th Malaysia Plan at a cost of RM20.75 million. It has been operating since Jan 4, 2021.
However, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, the official launch of the clinic was postponed until today.
The clinic provides primary healthcare service that covers the sub-districts of Kota Lama Kiri,
Kota Lama Kanan, Sayong and Senggang with an estimated population of 60,000 people.
The clinic provides holistic services through outpatient and emergency treatment and counselling, mother and children healthcare, rehabilitation and health screening.
Its facilities include a medical laboratory and a pharmacy as well as x-ray screening equipment.
Earlier, Dr Dzulkefly in his speech said the clinic played an important role in the transformation of primary healthcare delivery.
He said since the start of its operations, the number of patients had increased from 300 to 400 people per day in 2021, to between 500 and 700 people per day in 2023.
"This increase is not simply because more people are unhealthy. It also involves the delivery of more effective healthcare services.
"This is important to increase health awareness for infectious diseases and non-communicable diseases that can be screened, dealt with and contained early," he said.
Dr Dzulkefly said ensuring access to healthcare was a moral imperative that should be borne together.
"In addition, the use of the latest technology will improve the effectiveness of service delivery, starting with the electronic medical record or EMR.
"Empowerment based on the technological revolution needs to be continuously upheld including by applying the use of telemedicine and artificial intelligence in our approach," he said.
This, Dr Dzulkefly said, would allow the health of each individual to be delivered precisely through a precision medicine approach.
"It enables healthcare to reach the community, the family and households more effectively.
"I hope that this clinic becomes an exemplary primary healthcare facility along with other health facilities under the ministry as we strive to continue to improve the health and wellbeing of the people," he said.
With the newly launched clinic, Perak currently has 15 hospitals, five of which are specialist hospitals; 89 health clinics, 70 dental clinics, 10 mother and child healthcare clinics, 221 village clinics and 18 community clinics.