KUALA LUMPUR: The Ministry of Health (MOH) has reinstated the Hospital Services Outsourcing Programme (HSOP) at Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) to address congestion and long waiting times for Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) scans.
In a statement issued Friday, HKL said the programme had previously delivered significant improvements, cutting patient waiting times by 33 percent in 2025—from 24 weeks to 16 weeks. The hospital also reported high efficiency in appointment usage, with 96.8 percent of allocated MRI slots utilised, amounting to 365 out of 377 slots.
To further ease demand, HKL has applied for 640 MRI slots this year, representing a 70 percent increase aimed at reducing the backlog of patients awaiting scans.
The programme resumed last Wednesday following the approval of new funding on March 19.
HKL’s Radiology Department currently operates two MRI machines in its Main Block, with an optimal capacity of 24 to 28 cases per day depending on the complexity of each case. However, the hospital has been handling up to 36 cases daily to prioritise urgent and critical patients.
The hospital emphasised that it remains committed, יחד with the MOH, to delivering efficient healthcare services while maintaining high medical standards.
The move follows earlier reports highlighting limitations in HKL’s MRI capacity, which had resulted in some patients being referred to private facilities for imaging services.
— Minutes MY / Igneseous Noris
