Private healthcare workers should not be delayed at lockdown roadblocks, says association

KUALA LUMPUR (Bernama): The Association of Private Hospitals Malaysia calls for immediate action on the distress faced by some private healthcare workers who are not considered as essential services by security forces manning roadblocks and public transport stations during the lockdown from June 1 to 14.

Its president Datuk Dr Kuljit Singh said, currently, private hospitals were actively involved in the pandemic from regular walk-in testing, treating Covid-19 patients in intensive care units (ICU) and managing vaccine centres, hence, any delay at roadblocks and security checkpoints could lead to disastrous results.

"We fully understand that the possibility of some who will try to impersonate healthcare workers to get through roadblocks, but all private healthcare workers are equipped with letters from private hospital human resource departments or CEOs with photo-identification badges and contact numbers for verification.

"We are willing to have a dialogue with the National Security Council (NSC) on this matter and we have written a letter to the NSC on this earlier today, ” he said in a statement Thursday (June 3).

He said private hospitals were licensed under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act (Act 586) and there should not be any approval requirement from the International Trade Industry Ministry (Miti).

He added that non-clinical staff in hospitals, apart from doctors, nurses and pharmacists, were required to be physically at work which was part of the service of the hospital.

"We hope that our medical consultants are given equal treatment like their counterparts in Health Ministry to use special lanes at the roadblocks as often there are urgent emergencies to attend to.

"The association has worked hard to be in the forefront with the government in managing this pandemic and we appeal for some flexibility so that our staff will be able to contribute optimally, ” he added. - Bernama