TRADITIONAL MALAY MASSAGE AT PUTRAJAYA HOSPITAL

KUALA LUMPUR, March 31 (Bernama) -- For the first time in Malaysia, the traditional Malay massage will be available for post-natal mothers in a government hospital.

Beginning June, the Putrajaya government hospital will offer such services
which would be offered for free initially, by locally trained personnel while
the mother was still in the hospital.

The health ministry's Traditional and Complementary Medicine (T&CM)
director, Dr Ramli Abdul Ghani, said that such a service was thoroughly
discussed with Obstetrics and Gynaecology specialists and was found to be
beneficial.

"If the service is well-received, it will be extended to other hospitals in
the country, he added.

Ramli said the service was part of an 18-month-old T&MC programme, currently
carried out in three hospitals, namely in Kepala Batas, Putrajaya and Johor
Baharu.

Three types of traditional & complementary medicine services were available
under this programme namely acupuncture, malay traditional massage and herbal
medicine.

Ramli said T&CM was gaining popularity among Malaysians, judging by
statistics which showed that 14,134 new and follow-up cases were treated at T&CM
units of the three hospitals.

He said the ministry had plans to expand the service to three other
hospitals, one each in Terengganu (east coast state), Sabah and Sarawak (both
East Malaysia states), by August.

-- BERNAMA