The Johor State Government will tighten the recruitment process of Southern Volunteers (SV) following the arrest of a former volunteer who was detained for soliciting ward deposits from the public at the Sultanah Aminah Hospital (HSA).
Mohd Hairi Mad Shah, Chairman of the Johor Youth, Sports, Entrepreneur Development, and Cooperatives Committee, stated that the individual’s service was terminated last month due to inactivity; however, she is believed to have used the SV name to carry out hospital activities.
He added that the person detained by police was also accused of impersonating a hospital employee.
Following this incident, several criteria will be considered before anyone is recruited as an SV volunteer.
“SV is a symbol and representation of Johor. “I will not compromise on such issues,” he told reporters.
When asked to comment on the arrest of the woman, who is believed to be an SV volunteer, Mohd Hairi stated that he is leaving it up to the police to follow existing legal provisions.
Meanwhile, he noted that the state government has been conducting a “cleansing process” since last January by terminating inactive volunteers, with only 34,000 out of more than 62,000 volunteers retained as a result of the exercise.
According to him, SV volunteers are stationed at HSA to help with congestion in the hospital foyer, which includes tasks like pushing patients’ wheelchairs.
Meanwhile, the Johor State Health Department (JKNJ) announced in a statement that security measures would be tightened, including staff identification card checks, particularly at the hospital’s main entrances.
JKNJ also urged the public to immediately report any suspicious incidents to the hospital security and to remain vigilant, ensuring that payments are made only at official revenue counters and that valid receipts are received for each transaction.
The department explained that the hospital security detained the individual on 21st April, at around 6:30 pm and handed her over to the police for further action. The victim involved has also been asked to lodge a police report.
The incident previously went viral on Threads when a woman posted a query questioning whether the hospital charged a deposit for ward registration.
She claimed that her mother had to pay RM30 to the individual a woman – while registering her father for admission, without being issued a receipt.
