By FMT Reporters
Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said Adzwan Abdul Manas鈥檚 professional background presented a conflict of interest with the ministry鈥檚 policies.PETALING JAYA: The appointment process for members of hospital boards of visitors will be reviewed after a vape entrepreneur was appointed to Rembau Hospital鈥檚 board of visitors.Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad said there was an oversight in the screening process as Adzwan Abdul Manas鈥檚 professional background presented a conflict of interest with the ministry鈥檚 policies.Adzwan is the president of the Malaysian Retail Electronic Cigarette Association.Dzulkefly said the appointment process for visitors鈥 board members will be reviewed and improved in terms of eligibility criteria and their contributions to local communities, in line with national public health policies.He said the ministry remains committed to appointing community representatives who are 鈥渁ppropriate, competent, and principled.鈥漎esterday, Adzwan announced that he had resigned from the Rembau Hospital board following criticism over his suitability for the honorary appointment. He said the decision was made after considering the potential negative impact and public perception arising from his involvement in the vape business.Adzwan shared a photo of his appointment letter on social media on June 23. The letter was signed by Dzulkefly.In a statement today, Dzulkefly acknowledged that Adzwan鈥檚 appointment had significantly affected public perception of the ministry.He said the ministry received 2,860 nominations to the visitors鈥 boards of 143 public hospitals. Every nomination submitted to him had undergone a screening process that considered evaluations and recommendations from state representatives.鈥淗owever, in this particular case, there was an oversight in the screening process,鈥 said Dzulkefly.