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]

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.

History

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

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

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

Ministers

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 Nordin 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 Yusof 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, 10 days [21]

Deputy ministers

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

  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

  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.

External links


Government of Brunei
Health ministries in Asia
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