Nursing homes and care homes in Penang: how to check one is registered

The short version

A home for older people in Penang is usually a care centre (pusat jagaan), which must be registered with the Social Welfare Department (Jabatan Kebajikan Masyarakat, JKM) under the Care Centres Act 1993 (Act 506). A private nursing home (rumah jagaan kejururawatan swasta) is a different thing: it needs a licence from the Health Ministry under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 1998 (Act 586).

• Find out which kind of home it is, then check the matching registration or licence. The steps are below.
• Penang has many care centres and very few licensed nursing homes. As at 31 December 2025, the state counted 263 care centres of all kinds (for children, disabled people and older people), 80 of them not yet registered. The Health Ministry's list of licensed private nursing homes, updated 17 July 2026, had none with a Penang address.
• A newer law is not in force. The Private Aged Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 2018 (Act 802) was gazetted on 29 March 2018, but in October 2026 the Health Ministry said it was still not in force.
• To report abuse, call Talian Kasih on 15999 (24 hours) or WhatsApp 019-261 5999. In an emergency, call 999.

Two kinds of home, two regulators

How the rules define a care centre. Penang's state guide, quoting section 3 of the Act, says that when a home is run by an individual, that person's relatives are not counted towards the four.

Who JKM covers. The government portal says JKM regulates and approves the registration of private care centres for older people, care centres run by NGOs, and day or full-time care centres.

Who the Health Ministry covers. The government portal lists private nursing homes (rumah jagaan kejururawatan swasta) among the private health facilities that are registered or licensed with the Health Ministry. CKAPS says Act 586 was gazetted on 27 August 1998 and came into force on 1 May 2006.

Act 802. RTM reported on 5 October 2026 that the Deputy Health Minister told Parliament that Act 802, written to license and set standards for private aged healthcare, was gazetted on 29 March 2018 but is not yet in force. She said the Care Centres Act 1993 under JKM is still relevant and can be used to regulate care centres for older people.

Sources: Penang state care centre guide (as published in 2021), MyGovernment, care institutions for older people, MyGovernment, private health facilities, CKAPS FAQ and RTM, 5 October 2026, read 2026-10-14.

Step 1: check the name and the paperwork

• A care centre's name. Penang's state guide says a care centre must start its name with Pusat Jagaan in Malay or Care Centre in English.
• A care centre's certificate. JKM issues a certificate of registration (perakuan pendaftaran) for a period of 5 years, for a fee of RM50.00 paid by the operator. Ask to see it and check the dates.
• A nursing home's licence. A private nursing home is licensed under Act 586. Ask to see the licence, then look the home up on the Health Ministry's list (Step 2).

Source: Penang state care centre guide, as published in 2021, read 2026-10-14.

Step 2: check the register

Nursing homes: the Health Ministry list. CKAPS's statistics page links to a Senarai Rumah Jagaan Kejururawatan Swasta Berlesen (list of licensed private nursing homes). The copy updated on 17 July 2026 lists 18 homes across Malaysia, with each home's address and number of beds. None of them has a Penang address. Penang's state health department, in its Health Facts 2024, counted one licensed private nursing home in Penang in 2024, in the Barat Daya district. The government portal also links a map search of registered and licensed private health facilities (Aplikasi carian fasiliti kesihatan swasta yang berdaftar/berlesen).

Care centres: ask JKM. No public online register of JKM-registered care centres is published. In March 2026 the state's social development committee chairman, Lim Siew Khim, said operators could check their status with JKM, and that by 31 December 2025 Penang had 263 care centres, 80 of which had not yet obtained registration. The figure covers care centres of all kinds, not only homes for older people.

Sources: CKAPS statistics page, CKAPS list of licensed private nursing homes, JKN Pulau Pinang Health Facts 2024, MyGovernment, private health facilities and Utusan Malaysia, 12 March 2026, read 2026-10-14.

Step 3: questions to ask, from what the rules require

These come from what the rules say a registered home must do. They are questions you can ask; the answers are the home's to give.

For a care centre (Penang state guide, Appendix E):

• Is the operator registered with SSM or the Registrar of Societies, and with JKM? Both are listed as conditions for operating lawfully.
• How many carers are on duty for how many residents? The guide gives the carer to resident ratios set under the Care Centres Act: 1:18 for older people and 1:4 for older people who are bedridden (warga emas terlantar).
• How much floor space does each resident have? The guide gives 3.0 square metres per older resident.
• Are the carers trained? Carers must be experienced and trained in giving care, and must attend a basic care course recognised by JKM.
• Health and background checks for staff: carers need a typhoid vaccination; carers and workers have a medical examination once a year; and workers must have no criminal record.
• Records: the home keeps records of staff, residents and its own management.
• Fire safety: the home needs the fire and rescue department's support before JKM registers it. The checklist includes fire extinguishers, emergency lights, exit signs and safety exits.

The same guide says the state health department monitors health matters at a care centre once it is registered.

For a private nursing home (CKAPS FAQ): the person in charge must be a nurse registered with the Nursing Board Malaysia (Lembaga Kejururawatan Malaysia), preferably trained in geriatric care or rehabilitation, with at least five years' nursing experience. Ask who that person is.

Sources: Penang state care centre guide, as published in 2021, and CKAPS FAQ, read 2026-10-14.

Fees and help with costs

No official fee scale or cap for what a private care centre or nursing home charges its residents is published. The fees in Penang's state guide are what the operator pays to register, not what residents pay.

JKM runs two kinds of home itself, for people with no family and no means:

• Rumah Seri Kenangan: for people aged 60 and over who can look after themselves, have no family (waris), no income and no fixed home, and no infectious or psychiatric illness.
• Rumah Ehsan: for older people who are frail and cannot look after themselves, have no family or carer, no income and no fixed home, are Malaysian citizens, and are confirmed by a government medical officer as patients in need. The same illness conditions apply.

Source: MyGovernment, care institutions for older people, read 2026-10-14.

Where to complain

Abuse: Talian Kasih. The Ministry of Women, Family and Community Development's line takes questions, complaints and requests for help about abuse (penderaan), among other things, and the government portal files it under its pages for older people (warga emas). It runs 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

• Toll-free: 15999
• WhatsApp: 019-261 5999
• The Talian Kasih mobile app

In an emergency: 999. The government portal says 999 reaches the police, fire and rescue, and Health Ministry emergency services, among others.

A care centre: JKM. Care centres are registered and regulated by JKM, so a complaint about how one is run goes to JKM.

A licensed private nursing home: CKAPS. CKAPS takes complaints about the facilities, services and staff of the private health facilities it regulates under Act 586.

• How: online at myckaps.spab.gov.my; by phone on 03-8883 1362; by letter to the Deputy Director of CKAPS, Health Ministry, Level 3, Block E1, Kompleks E, Federal Government Administrative Centre, 62590 Putrajaya; or in person at CKAPS headquarters or at the state health department's CKAPS office.
• On someone else's behalf: allowed, if you are family, state your relationship and attach the patient's written permission.
• What happens: you get a case number, and an acknowledgement within 1 day. CKAPS may ask the facility to give you an explanation within 14 days. Simple cases take 30 days; cases needing a state investigation take longer, and the investigation report is not given to the complainant.
• What CKAPS cannot do: it cannot get you a refund, reduced charges or compensation (that is up to the facility, or a lawyer or the civil courts), and complaints about a doctor's conduct go to the Malaysian Medical Council.

Sources: MyGovernment, Talian Kasih 15999, MyGovernment, MERS 999, MyGovernment, care institutions for older people and CKAPS FAQ, read 2026-10-14.

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