KUALA LUMPUR, July 25 — Nearly 11 per cent of the Ministry of Health’s (MOH) operating theatres (OTs) are not functioning optimally, according to official data.
Out of 690 operating theatres across MOH facilities, 75 operating theatres (10.9 per cent) are functioning properly and are likely suspended, Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad reported in a written Dewan Negara reply to Senator Dr RA Lingeshwaran last Tuesday.
Dzulkefly explained that each operating theatre must meet established standards to ensure safe and proper surgical procedures. This includes having basic anaesthesia and surgical equipment, as well as a minimum number of staff including nurses, medical officers, anaesthetists, and surgeons.
“If these conditions are not met, the use of the operating theatres must be temporarily suspended,” Dzulkefly said.
Currently, there are 149 hospitals and institutions under MOH, with 124 equipped with operating theatres. In total, MOH hospitals have 690 operating theatres, with each hospital having at least one.
Dzulkefly said the temporary loss of function is seen as a service disruption rather than a financial loss from maintenance costs. If an operating theatre cannot be used due to age or non-compliance with current specifications, maintenance work will be halted until the necessary upgrades are completed, during which no maintenance fees are charged.
Several measures are being implemented to address the situation, including the introduction of a hospital cluster concept to coordinate OT usage and optimise resources. Specialists, medical officers, nurses, and other health personnel will work across hospitals within the cluster according to a surgical schedule.
Additionally, low-risk surgeries will be performed at hospitals without specialists, and continuous training will ensure medical officers can handle procedures such as lower segment caesarean sections (LSCS) and appendectomies, particularly in remote areas.
Critical OT equipment will be replaced and non-standard OTs upgraded in phases based on priority, Dzulkefly said.
