KUALA LUMPUR: The Agriculture and Agro-Based Industry Ministry plans to build more veterinary hospitals under the 12th Malaysia Plan (12MP), said its minister Datuk Seri Ahmad Shabery Cheek.
He said the move was to provide better veterinary facilities and services as such a service was lacking and currently there is only one veterinary hospital available here.
“We plan to build as many as we can afford, at least there should be an additional three or four hospitals (in Kuala Lumpur),” he told reporters after launching the National Animal Welfare Day at the Federal Territory Veterinary Services Department here yesterday.
“It is our commitment to forward this plan to the Economic Planning Unit and Finance Ministry to include this under 12th MP,” he said.
Earlier in his speech Ahmad Shabery said the growth of veterinary hospitals must be on par with the construction of general hospitals in providing treatment and services to the public.
At the same time he said the people should give some time for the Veterinary Services Department to address the shortage of veterinarians and be willing to wait before they could be attended to. In another development he advised farmers and animal breeders to be prepared in facing the floods and high tide phenomenon and not confine their pets and livestock.
“We have made the necessary preparations. For example when we receive information of livestock being transferred or trapped, we will immediately deliver food supply so that the animals are not starved,” he said. — Bernama