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KUCHING: The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) welcomes a decision by the Ministry of Health (MOH) to prolong the opening hours of 52 government health clinics.
This is an immediate interim solution to alleviate the present overcrowding in government healthcare facilities.
Nevertheless, its president Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai stressed that in the long run it is imperative to have enough workers to prevent staff burnout.
Sufficient doctors, nurses and support staff are crucial to the success of the clinics, he added.
“The extended operating hours at these clinics may also be an opportunity for doctors who are no longer in the public healthcare system, to come back to serve and earn an income.
“Some of them are ex-contract doctors who did not get permanent posts or who have left the system for various other reasons,” he said in a statement.
For several private general practitioners (GPs) whose clinics close early, he said it may also be an opportunity for these doctors to serve and earn an additional income.
“MMA notes that there are around 4,000 new private clinics in the country. Some of these clinics have been set up and run by young doctors who were previously contract doctors in the system,” he said.
While the extended hours may be a quick fix to the current congestion at public healthcare facilities, he pointed out that the Ministry of Health (MOH) must also look into mid and long-term sustainable solutions.
“Among the solutions are outsourcing the Green Zone cases to private GP clinics that the government has planned for under its Skim Perubatan Madani. The MMA hopes there will be an update from the MOH soon.
“MMA had for many years proposed involving the private GPs as a necessary step to strengthening primary care in the country.
“As private GPs play a key role in the public healthcare management, they should be included in government healthcare policies,” he stressed.
