Expand Bitara Madani project, improve public delivery service - PM Anwar

KUALA LUMPUR - The Special Task Force on Agency Reform (Star) has been told to immediately implement and expand the Bitara Madani project, including giving focus on solutions to the difficulties and problems faced by the people.

Prime Minister Datuk Seri Anwar Ibrahim said the Malaysia Madani Action Council (MTMM) decided on this today, among others, to underline the government’s commitment to improving the quality, efficiency and effectiveness of public service delivery in ensuring the well-being of the people and to ease the process of running businesses.

Anwar, who is also MTMM chairman, said the council will be focusing on two new Bitara Madani projects, namely to upgrade poor facilities under the Health Ministry (MoH) and to expand the implementation of Madani food courts and stalls.

"Under the facility upgrading project, the government is taking immediate steps to improve 436 facilities and health clinics under the Health Ministry, with the target that all facilities will enter the implementation stage by the end of 2023.

"Meanwhile, to expand the implementation of the Madani stalls, the improvement method used by Kuala Lumpur City Hall (DBKL) will be implemented to upgrade 20 food courts under selected local authorities,” the prime minister said in a Facebook post today.

Anwar said improvements done will help beautify these premises and make them cleaner for the people’s comfort.

He said Bitara Madani projects uphold Malaysia Madani principles and adopt the whole-of-government approach, in which project leaders comprise senior civil service officials who are not from the ministries or departments responsible for those identified projects.

Anwar said this was to ensure that their implementation was evaluated from a different and more comprehensive perspective.

"With the focus on low costs, the implementation of quick solutions and the use of existing resources, all projects under Bitara Madani are in line with the transformation for reforms in the delivery of public services to be more efficient and with integrity and quality in serving the community, with the ability to have a direct impact on the people,” he said.

Prior to this, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa reportedly said that one initiative under Bitara Madani is to help reduce patient congestion in the emergency department at government hospitals, with the pilot project implemented at the Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) in Klang and the Bandar Botanic Health Clinic (KKBB).

She said in this regard, the MoH had decided to widen the scope of the pilot project by extending operation hours at five other selected health clinics involving the Gombak and Hulu Langat districts as well as in Ipoh, Johor Bharu and Kuala Lumpur. - BERNAMA