Ministry of Health (Brunei)

The Ministry of Health (MOH or MoH; Malay: Kementerian Kesihatan) is a cabinet-level ministry in the government of Brunei which oversees the health system in the country. It is currently led by a minister and the incumbent is Mohd Isham Jaafar,[a] who took office since 1 December 2017.[2][3] The ministry is headquartered in Bandar Seri Begawan.

Ministry of Health
Kementerian Kesihatan
Ministry of Health's logo
Ministry overview
Formed1 January 1984 (1984-01-01)
JurisdictionGovernment of Brunei
HeadquartersBandar Seri Begawan, Brunei
4°55′15″N 114°56′42″E / 4.920762°N 114.944952°E / 4.920762; 114.944952
Annual budgetIncrease$392 million BND (2022)
Minister responsible
Websitewww.moh.gov.bn
Footnotes
[1][2][3]

History

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One physician from Europe was engaged by the medical service in 1939. In the reports that are available, no other doctors are named. Moreover, one student midwife and three midwives.[5] As of 1949, an officer of the Malayan Medical Service, which has its headquarters in Brunei Town, is in charge of overseeing medical and health management throughout the nation.[6] Early in 1965, the Brunei Medical and Health Department launched the region's first government "flying doctor service," continuing a British Army practice of delivering medical care to rural residents.[7]

Responsibilities

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The ministry oversees four government hospitals and 60 health centres and clinics nationwide.[b][8]

As of 2017, the ministry has been responsible in enforcing 11 legislations related to public health, healthcare professionals (including dentists, midwives, nurses and pharmacists), infectious diseases, medicines, mental health, poison, and tobacco.[9]

The ministry manages the Brunei Healthcare Information Management System, commonly known as Bru-HIMS,[c] the national electronic patient record system.[8][10] It was introduced on 11 September 2012.[10]

The ministry also manages BruHealth, the national personal health record smartphone app which is integrated with Bru-HIMS.[11] It was introduced on 14 May 2020, initially as the national COVID-19 contact tracing app.[12] Access to personal medical records was eventually introduced in the app in September in the same year.[13]

The ministry is playing a key role in handling the spread of COVID-19 in the country.

Budget

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In the fiscal year 2022–23, the ministry has been allocated a budget of B$392 million,[d] a 1.2 percent increase from the previous year.[1]

List of ministers

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Ministers

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No. Portrait Minister Term start Term end Time in office Ref.
1   Abdul Aziz Umar 1 January 1984 21 October 1986 2 years, 293 days [15]
2   Johar Noordin 21 October 1986 March 1998 11 years, 131 days [16][17]
3   Abu Bakar Apong March 1998 23 May 2005 7 years, 84 days [18][16]
4   Suyoi Osman 24 May 2005 28 May 2010 4 years, 364 days [18]
5   Adanan Yusuf 29 May 2010 21 October 2015 5 years, 146 days [18][19]
6   Zulkarnain Hanafi 21 October 2015 1 December 2017 2 years, 41 days [20]
7   Isham Jaafar 1 December 2017 Incumbent 6 years, 335 days [21]

Deputy ministers

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No. Portrait Minister Term start Term end Time in office Ref.
1   Hazair Abdullah 24 May 2005 29 May 2010 4 years, 364 days [22]

Notes

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  1. ^ a b His current official Malay name is Dato Seri Setia Dr. Awang Haji Md. Isham bin Haji Jaafar.[4]
  2. ^ as of 2019
  3. ^ also spelt BruHIMS
  4. ^ US$282 million as of July 2022[14]

References

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  1. ^ a b Hj Abu Bakar, Rasidah (1 March 2022). "MoH drafts action plan to address mental health issues". The Scoop. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  2. ^ a b "Pelantikan, pertukaran menteri dan pegawai kanan baru". Media Permata Online (in Malay). 1 December 2017. Archived from the original on 24 July 2022. Retrieved 24 July 2022.
  3. ^ a b The Scoop (7 June 2022). "HM announces major cabinet shakeup — full list of appointees". The Scoop. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  4. ^ Ali Rahman, Muhammad Khairulanwar (8 June 2022). "Perlantikan, Pertukaran Menteri Kabinet, Timbalan Menteri" (PDF). Pelita Brunei (in Malay). No. 67 #69. pp. 3–4. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  5. ^ War Department Technical Bulletin: TB med. The Department. 1944. p. 14.
  6. ^ Office, Great Britain Colonial (1949). The Colonial Office List. H.M. Stationery Office. p. 101.
  7. ^ Background notes, Brunei Darussalam. U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Public Affairs, Office of Public Communication, Editorial Division. 1985. p. 3.
  8. ^ a b Henderson, James (19 June 2019). "Inside Brunei's cutting-edge e-health system, built by DXC". Channel Asia. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  9. ^ "Ministry of Health - Acts and Regulations". www.moh.gov.bn. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  10. ^ a b "Bru-HIMS Introduction". www.moh.gov.bn. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  11. ^ The Scoop (20 May 2022). "MoH to roll out new BruHealth features". The Scoop. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  12. ^ Han, Shareen (14 May 2020). "Gov't rolls out BruHealth contact tracing app as restrictions loosened". The Scoop. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  13. ^ Han, Shareen (25 September 2020). "BruHealth expands features with appointment bookings, access to medical records". The Scoop. Archived from the original on 23 July 2022. Retrieved 23 July 2022.
  14. ^ "392,000,000 BND to USD - Bruneian Dollars to US Dollars Exchange Rate". XE.com. Retrieved 21 July 2022.
  15. ^ "Menteri-Menteri Cabinet" (PDF).
  16. ^ a b Publications, Europa (2003). The Europa World Year Book 2003. Taylor & Francis. p. 869. ISBN 978-1-85743-227-5.
  17. ^ HORTON, A.V.M. (2001). "Review of Historical dictionary of Brunei Darussalam. [Asian/Oceanian Historical Dictionaries 25.]". Bijdragen tot de Taal-, Land- en Volkenkunde. 157 (1): 190–192. ISSN 0006-2294. JSTOR 27865712.
  18. ^ a b c "Keluaran Khas Sempena Pelantikan Menteri-Menteri Kabinet dan Timbalan-Timbalan Menteri" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 12 June 2010. p. 3.
  19. ^ "Sultanate - News | Negara Brunei Darussalam | Sultan reveals major cabinet reshuffle". www.sultanate.com. Retrieved 11 March 2023.
  20. ^ "Brunei New Cabinet Ministers 2015". Brunei New Cabinet Ministers 2015. Retrieved 30 December 2022.
  21. ^ "Appointment of New Brunei Health Minister". Appointment of New Brunei Health Minister. Retrieved 27 August 2022.
  22. ^ "Keluaran Khas Sempena Pelantikan Menteri-Menteri Kabinet dan Timbalan-Timbalan Menteri" (PDF). Pelita Brunei. 12 June 2010. p. 6.
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