Cuepacs hopes dietetics department will not be privatised

KUALA LUMPUR: The Congress of Unions of Employees in the Public and Civil Services (Cuepacs) hopes the dietetics and food services departments at government hospitals are not privatised.
Its president, Datuk Azih Muda said the proposal if implemented, would affect the welfare of more than 2,000 food handling assistants and dietetics staff at the hospitals nationwide.
"Cuepacs is worried that if the privatisation is allowed, kitchens at government hospitals which prepare food for patients will be run by foreign workers.
"This will also increase the fees in hospitals and burden the patients, especially the poor," he told a media conference during a special meeting of hospital food handling assistants from throughout the country at Wisma Cuepacs here today.
Azih noted the privatisation policy would reduce the number of people who wanted to work in the government sector.
On Budget 2017 which will be tabled next week, he urged the government to consider insurance coverage for enforcement officers.
"The time has come to give insurance coverage or social security benefits to members of other services which perform enforcement work," he said. — Bernama