SIBU: The board of management of local hospitals should have autonomy in the management of human resources, said Wong Ching Yong.
The Sarawak United People’s Party (SUPP) Dudong chairman said that the board of management of local hospitals are best equipped to address their manpower needs, and not the Public Services Department (JPA).
“They (JPA) should not be involved in the management of human resources in hospitals,” he stressed when speaking at the SUPP Dudong advisor Datuk Dr Soon Choon Teck’s birthday celebration at Hai Bing Restaurant here last night.
Dr Soon’s 81st birthday celebration was jointly organised by SUPP Dudong and SUPP Sibu Jaya.
Wong said that it was also suggested by medical management specialists to address the serious shortage of house officers and medical officers in Sarawak.
“Countries like Australia, the UK, New Zealand, Singapore, and so on – all have the power to hire and fire lying with the authorities of the Board of Hospital Management.
“The local hospitals know best. Let the autonomy of human resources be given to the Board of Management of the local hospitals,” he added.
He said a letter from the Ministry of Health’s (MoH) Director-General Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan in January this year to state health directors in the country stated that applications from graduate medical officers for hospital placements requires JPA approval.
“Why do applications need to go through JPA? To me, this policy is most alarming and annoying, especially for Sarawak, which is seriously short of house officers and medical officers.
“According to the information in the letter, the number of medical graduates entering housemanship was 6,136 in 2019, before declining to 5,113 in 2020; 3,245 in 2022, and 3,271 last year, which was admitted by JPA as unsatisfactory due to the downward trend over the years,” he said.
He also stressed that a lot of parents are frustrated having to wait for six to nine months for their children to do housemanship.
“According to these parents, between this period of six and nine months, the young doctors often work as Grab car drivers, food delivery, work as health advisors, or salesmen in medical shops. Eventually, many lose interest in medicine,” he said.
He hopes both the Lanang and Sibu MPs could raise these issues to the federal government for immediate resolution.
Also present were organising chairman Lee Hui Shing, Supp Sibu Jaya chairman Datuk Matthew Chen, Dr Soon’s wife Datin Roseline Kho, SUPP Nangka chairman Benson Chua, and Pemanca Paing Tawi.
