/file/publisher-c1a3f893382d2b2f8a9aa22a654d9c97/2020/10/6d0e291b8cba4ad54042ab0987a9c416.jpg)
Doctors' group questions ministry’s plan to extend clinic hours
This also comes as the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) sought the Human Resources Ministry’s intervention in the Health Ministry’s “exploitation” of its house officers.
The contract doctors’ group, Hartal Doktor Kontrak (HDK) has questioned the Health Ministry’s plan to extend the operating hours of its health clinics.
This also comes as the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) sought the Human Resources Ministry’s intervention in the Health Ministry’s “exploitation” of its house officers.
“Reduce working hours but increase service hours - interesting to see how they going to make it work with the existing (reducing) workforce,” the group said on its official Twitter account.
It also wants to see what procedures and standards would be put in place to ensure house officers would no longer be exploited.
During her new year address to her ministry this morning, Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa reportedly instructed state health directors to review the operating hours of the health clinics under their jurisdiction.
This would allow non-critical patients to be treated at those clinics rather than crowding a hospital’s emergency department.
She quoted a 2019 audit stating that wait times at the emergency department could exceed six hours.
“Generally, patients hope the Health Ministry can resolve the congestion issue and the long wait to seek treatment at the ministry’s clinics and hospitals.
“The congestion is found in urban areas following the increase in population and customers’ tendency to seek services from the Health Ministry’s hospitals and clinics,” Berita Harian quoted her as saying.
In an interview aired last night, however, MMA president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai said trainee doctors are already working up to seven hours a day, beyond their stipulated work hours and are not receiving monetary compensation.
He said the association is writing to Human Resources Minister V Sivakumar on the matter and wants him to sit with the Public Services Department to resolve it.
Are you sure you want to delete this comment?
This action cannot be undone.