The Bandar Botanik Health Clinic in Klang, Selangor, now operates seven days a week, including public holidays, as a pilot project to deal with overcrowding at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) Emergency and Trauma Department.

Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa said the implementation of the HTAR and Bandar Botanik Health Clinic cluster pilot project started last Saturday is as agreed upon by the Special Task Force on Agency Reform (STAR).

Through the pilot project, the clinic’s operating hour is extended from 8am to 9.30pm, with last patient registration at 9pm.

“Therefore, I hope patients with mild symptoms or nonemergency cases will no longer visit HTAR’s Emergency and Trauma Department but instead go to the Bandar Botanik Health Clinic at the appointed time.

“This is because the Emergency and Trauma Department should only treat serious and critical emergency cases,” she said in her speech at the Health Ministry’s (MoH) monthly assembly here yesterday.

In her 2023 New Year’s Message, Dr Zaliha announced the extended operation hours for selected health clinics to reduce overcrowding and long waiting times at hospitals’ emergency and trauma departments.

Health clinics normally operate from 8am to 5pm on working days.

Dr Zaliha said the change in patient arrival patterns

from HTAR’s Emergency and Trauma Department to the Bandar Botanik Health Clinic would be monitored during the implementation of the pilot project.

“This is to enable the MoH to determine a better implementation strategy to deal with overcrowding issues at HTAR’s emergency and trauma

department,” she said.

Meanwhile, Dr Zaliha said the government is always committed to providing the best health services to the people through the operation of new health facilities.

She said the objective of building new hospitals and health clinics is to provide access to health services, replace outdated and old facilities and accommodate urgent needs and demand for a higher number of beds.

At the event, she also launched the Carbon Neutral Healthcare Facilities Blueprint to drive MoH to provide safe, environmentally friendly, resilient and futureproof health facilities.