Health Minister Dr Chua Soi Lek today denied a news report saying that there is a suspected case of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (Sars) in a local hospital.

He said Malaysia was still free from Sars. "If there is (any case), we will inform the public as we are open and transparent," he was quoted as saying by Bernama .

The minister was commenting on a report by a local daily today which said that a man who had visited China last month, was now at a special Sars ward at Sultanah Aminah Hospital in Johor Baharu for having high fever.

The man, known as Miaw Heng Peng, 61, from Tangkak, was transferred from Tangkak Hospital. It was reported that other than having a fever of more than 38 degrees Celsius, he had no other symptoms of Sars.

Chua urged the media not to exaggerate by saying that a person who had just arrived from China with fever could had been inflicted by Sars.

Last year, the disease killed more than 700 people worldwide. Among the countries hard hit were China, Hong Kong and Singapore.

Private wing

On another development, Chua said a special task force has been formed to study the proposal to set up 'private wings' in government hospitals.

"Private hospitals fear the competition from the private wing and question it. There are also people who are concerned that the quality of service in government hospitals will be affected with the setting up of the private wing.

"We have to balance between the profit orientated private sector and the government's responsibility so that we can give the best service to all with minimal charges. We have to balance both," he said.

Meanwhile, on the government's plan to improve the health sector in Terengganu, Chua said the government had allocated RM109 million under the Eighth Malaysian Plan to implement 98 health projects in the state.

"Some have been completed and others are being implemented," he said.

At the same time, there were facilities in government hospitals that needed to be upgraded from time to time to ensure that the rakyat received the best health services, he said.

"Under the Ninth Malaysian Plan, the thrust in health development is to improve the facilities and equipment in all hospitals, and not only in new hospitals," he said.

"We have to upgrade human resource development and improve services to correct the public perception that government hospitals do not have sophisticated equipment unlike private hospitals.

"They also say services and expertise in government hospitals are not as good as those in private hospitals. These are not exactly true as some government hospitals have better equipment compared to private ones," he said.

Chua also expressed hopes that the government would approve the request for RM70 million from the Federal Special Fund to be channelled to improve health services in Terengganu.