YOURSAY | Properly trained and experienced doctors urgently needed

YOURSAY | ‘Unless something drastic is done, nothing will change.’

Almost every govt hospital, clinic short of doctors - MMA survey

GoldenPhoenix2391: The truth is the Health Ministry is a mess. It is padded with administrators who are incompetent or inexperienced or a combination of both.

The results of their misguided policies, poor implementation and inadequate planning and coordination are out there for all to see. 

The Public Service Department (PSD) and the government are collectively guilty of not prioritising the provision of an adequate number of doctors and specialists.

The PSD is to be blamed for not creating enough posts for doctors and intentionally resisting placing doctors on a higher scale than the rest of the civil service.

Unless something drastic is done, nothing will change. 

Fed Up bodoh sombong: There are obvious reasons for the pathetic conditions in government hospitals.

These can range from 3R, political, ketuanan issues and so on. I am a frequent visitor to the Universiti Malaysia Medical Centre (PPUM).

I feel that the technical administrative supporting staff are sufficient for the work they have to do. 

It is the shortage of doctors and specialists that is causing the huge backlog of patients seeking treatment.

Most of the time, these patients are given customary service and sent back without proper assessment of their conditions.

Properly trained and experienced doctors are urgently needed.

There’s no point in generating a large number of doctors who are not qualified in their disciplines.

Politicians and ministers should not be given special medical services.

They should try out the services and staff they have placed at these hospitals for the public.

Former prime ministers Dr Mahathir Mohamad and Muhyiddin Yassin should not go to IJN and Singapore for their medical treatment.

They should try out the service which they are responsible for.

Apanama is back: On the one hand, Malaysia is moving towards an ageing society.

On the other hand, we are facing the issue of  “almost all public healthcare facilities in the country are running with inadequate manpower."  

This is a very long pertinent issue that past and present administrations never had the willpower to resolve. They deliberately let it become worse.  

I feel very sorry for senior citizens depending on public healthcare services. The government has allocated RM41.2 billion to the Health Ministry in Budget 2024, an increase from RM36.3 billion from 2023's budget.

How are the allocations being spent?

The health minister needs to provide an update every month rather than wait for the annual auditor-general report because currently, the ministry could be in crisis.

Healthcare is a serious matter in any country.

Look at how Thailand can run its hospitals effectively. Even Singapore Airlines diverted its plane to Bangkok after facing severe turbulence en route from London to Singapore.

Gotcha: The salary of doctors should not be on the same scale as that of other civil servants. They should be paid close to what doctors in the private sector are getting.

Just remember doctors work long hours and hardly have time to eat their meals, many resort to eating buns and sandwiches while working.

I understand many are under tremendous stress due to workload and the availability of housemen to assist with blood taking, the discharging of patients and caring.

The Health Ministry must take immediate action before more doctors quit.   

KCT: No one wants to study medicine due to hopeless working conditions and getting bullied by senior doctors. You make more money selling cosmetics.

Those who are already practising want to get out. So the good people of “bolehland” can continue seeing “pawang” and “sinseh”.

Mechi: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and the Health Ministry do not seem to be on the same wavelength in dealing with this serious problem.

Is it due to the interference of “Little Napoleons”?

The health minister must take ownership and fix it. We wish to hear that measures are being taken now. 

BrownTurtle9565: This is a serious problem. The data on the number of doctors in hospitals is outdated as the figures have not been updated in years. 

Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad please check and work with the current data.

Those who had resigned and transferred out still appear on the Health Ministry or hospital lists. Thus, your data seems to have more doctors.

A quick check on the ground will help. A check on overtime hours and on-call hours can tell the real story.

MarioT: Simply put, it is a lack of proper and competent administration, an unattractive employment scheme and an influx of patients seeking treatment.

If nothing urgent is done to address the first two issues, then health services will further deteriorate.

Ipin Upin: We have had six health ministers since 2012. After all the politicking, it is the people who suffer.

I used to get my insulin monthly from a public health clinic. Now I have to go twice a month to get the same amount. Useless political appointments.

Open minded 2281: Yet we have hundreds of contract doctors who have yet to be given permanent jobs.

Surely, savings on subsidies can instead fund the Health Ministry as the poor depend on public hospitals.

Common Man: While I sympathise with medical workers, the number of people surveyed is just too small and not comprehensive enough to reflect the real needs of the ministry.

XED: Why do they focus on numbers? A well-qualified, experienced and motivated few can do far more than underqualified and underperforming many.

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