MELAKA: Melaka Chief Minister Adly Zahari says that there is no racism over Putra Specialist Hospital placing an advertisement to recruit Mandarin-speaking staff nurses.

He said that the move by the hospital is to meet the increasing number of China nationals seeking treatment at the state government-owned medical institution.

“Currently, there are nine out of 376 staff members who speak the language and doctors said that there was a need to have more staff fluent in Mandarin as well as English to meet the increasing number of foreign patients.

“The vacancy is not meant for one ethnic and could be filled by candidates from any races who could converse in the languages,” he said in a statement on Friday (Nov 23).

Adly said the move to recruit Mandarin-speaking nurses is also in line with Putra Specialist’s growth plan to compete with other private hospitals in the state to woo foreigners, especially from China.

Adly was commenting on the statement by Melaka Umno Youth asking for clarification whether the move to recruit Mandarin-speaking nurses was an attempt to sideline the national language.

The wing also demanded that the state government reveal the volume of patients based on ethnicity and questioned whether the new management of the hospital would sideline staff who can’t converse in the language.