Govt doctors not prevented from joining NGOs to Aceh - Dr Hilmi

The Health Ministry does not prevent its doctors from joining non-governmental organisations (NGOs) on humanitarian aid mission to Aceh, Indonesia.

Deputy Minister of Health, Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said the ministry encouraged doctors from the government hospitals to participate in such mission.

"We (Health Ministry) has no official team (being sent to Aceh) but we do not stop our doctors to follow the NGOs there. They can go at any time," he told reporters after opening the Students with Community programme here Saturday.

More than 100 people died and thousands made homeless in the earthquake measuring 6.5 on Richter scale on Wednesday.

So far, Dr Hilmi said the Malaysian Medical Relief Society (Mercy) was the only organisation that had been sending aid to the area and none of the government doctors were on the mission.

In another development, Dr Hilmi said the Health Department was curbing the spread of malaria in the country. No new cases were reported.

Up to 93 cases of malaria were reported last month among the Orang Asli in a settlement in Gerik, with many of them sent to hospitals in Gerik and Kuala Kangsar. -- BERNAMA