Vet Dept moves to amend Act

[dog is my buddy]

Vet Dept moves to amend Act
By S.S. YOGA
yoga@thestar.com.my


PETALING JAYA: The veterinary services department is seeking the advice of the Attorney-General’s Chambers to amend the Veterinary Surgeons Act 1974 to give it more powers to nab bogus veterinarians.

Its director-general Datuk Dr Abdul Aziz Jamaluddin (pic) said the Act provided for the department’s officers to inspect premises used to practise veterinary medicine and to prepare reports for the Malaysian Veterinary Council.

“In cases of bogus veterinarians, the council will direct the inspector to make a police report based on the inspection reports and the council’s instruction,” he told The Star.

Dr Abdul Aziz said the department was seeking to provide the inspectors with powers to investigate and arrest the culprits and to also seize evidence for court prosecution.

The department also wanted stiffer fines and penalties for fake vets.

On top of other requirements by local government authorities, the department is also seeking to amend the Act to license veterinary premises and clinics as well as to register para-veterinarians practising at these premises.

In the meantime, said Dr Abdul Aziz, the veterinary council would come up with a new website and a list of veterinarians issued with the annual practising certificate (APC).

He said the department had set up a hotline (03-8870 2236 begin_of_the_skype_highlighting 03-8870 2236 end_of_the_skype_highlighting) so the public can check on veterinarians without APCs, as of Sept 29.

Dr Abdul Aziz said the public could also get a copy of a government gazette, which contains a directory of veterinarians, with names, addresses, dates of qualification and dates of registration with the council, adding that these could be obtained from Percetakan Nasional Malaysia Bhd.

Dr Abdul Aziz said he had instructed all state veterinary enforcement units to make immediate checks on all veterinary clinics and premises.

“Any case of non-compliance will be further investigated and dealt with accordingly,” he added.

He encouraged the public to lodge reports if they knew of any bogus vets.

Dr Abdul Aziz reiterated that the department could not take action based on mere suspicion or hearsay, clarifying an earlier report that quoted him as saying that the department had no jurisdiction over fake vets.