Docs can take unrecorded leave to serve in Sulawesi - Dr Dzulkefly

KUALA LUMPUR, Oct 4 (Bernama) -- The government will allow doctors to take unrecorded leave should they want to offer their services in helping out earthquake and tsunami victims in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said.

"We are giving permission to our doctors who are under the Health Ministry and Education Ministry (doctors at university hospitals) to take unrecorded leave to be of service to the people there,” he said.

He was speaking to reporters after witnessing the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the Health Ministry and Collaborative Research in Engineering, Science and Technology (CREST), here today.

Dr Dzulkefly, however, did not state the number of government doctors who had left so far to serve in the affected areas in Sulawesi.

According to Indonesia's National Agency for Disaster Management (BNPB) yesterday, the number of earthquake and tsunami victims  killed  in Central Sulawesi had increased to 1,407 people.

On Friday, an  earthquake with a magnitude of 7.5  on the Richter Scale rocked the cities of Palu and Donggala which also resulted in a tsunami, followed by over 250 aftershocks.

Meanwhile, commenting on the recent alcoholic poisoning cases, Dr Dzulkefly said that his ministry had as of today, received 98 notifications with another death so far in Selangor. 

With the latest case, the total number of fatalities stands at 46.

 Dr. Dzulkefly said the MoU inked between the ministry and CREST today witnesses the collaboration of both parties in research, development and commercialisation in digital healthcare.

 The MoU was signed by Health director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah representing the ministry and CREST by its chief executive officer Jaffri Ibrahim.

-- BERNAMA