KLANG, April 17 — Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Razak said the dirty canteen episode at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital here should not have happened.

Responding to a tweet by Health Ministry director-general Datuk Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah, Najib posted on Twitter yesterday: “Should not happen. Conduct regular spotchecks on services in government hospitals and clinics.”

Dr Noor Hisham had in a statement, posted on kpkesihatan.com yesterday said: “In  response  to the article “Dirty Hospital Canteen Ordered Shut”  published in Malay Mail (on Tuesday), the Health Ministry would like to thank the press for their concern on the matter raised with regards to the canteen at Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah.

“The ministry takes this matter seriously and believe that cleanliness and hygiene in the hospital environment should be made a priority by the hospital management. The ministry has directed the state health office and hospital directors to regularly inspect the canteen, cafeteria and hospital kitchen to ensure that it meets standard hygiene requirements.”

Dr Noor Hisham said a follow-up inspection found the canteen met cleanliness requirements. Checks by Malay Mail yesterday revealed otherwise.

The floor was covered in grime. Even the tables were not cleared when customers were done eating, with plates and cups left scattered on the table.

The canteen was ordered closed for 14 days beginning last Friday and the hospital’s health department officer Geeris Bachudaya said it would only re-open if it passed an inspection after April 23.

On Tuesday, Malay Mail, in its front page report, highlighted the pathetic state of the canteen with rat poison spotted near its drains.

Selangor Health Department director Dr S. Balachandran had then said an inspection by the hospital’s health department found that the operator had failed to meet cleanliness requirements and was ordered to close.

Although there was no rat poison near the canteen yesterday, our checks showed the vents which draw smoke from the kitchen exhaust hood were covered in grease that leaked to the floor.

Workers from the canteen eventually told Malay Mail to leave the premises as taking pictures were not allowed.

“We have had enough trouble over this, it’s better for you to leave,” said a worker.

When asked when the contract of the canteen would end, the operator confirmed it would end this month but insisted it had nothing to do with the hygiene level at the canteen.

A visitor who only wanted to be known as Rajiv, said he did not know the canteen had previously been closed.

“It looks the same to me,” said Rajiv who last visited the hospital last month.

An ex-patient, Betty Kandavanam said when she was admitted last year, she pleaded for doctors to discharge her over the unhygienic wards.

“I saw rats scurrying around at night. When I told the doctor to discharge me, he said was aware of the rats and it was nothing new to them,” she said adding the doctor informed her complaints had been lodged with the hospital but nothing appeared to have been done.

“I last visited the hospital in March for social work, and was shocked to find a rat in the pantry of the women’s ward. This was during the day,” she said.

Efforts to contact Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital’s Health Department Unit proved futile as an officer said a directive was issued by the hospital director Dr Ding Lay Ming for its officers not to speak to Malay Mail.

Attempts to contact Dr Ding and Dr Noor Hisham also proved futile.