KUALA LUMPUR: The number of family medicine specialists (FMS) in the country is still low compared to the actual need of one specialist per population of 50,000, while the ideal ratio is 1:4,000, says Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
The Health director-general said that as of December 2021, there were only 924 FMS in the country, including 625 currently serving in 397 health clinics of the Ministry of Health (MOH).
"Currently, the MOH is targeting at least one FMS person in every 1,060 MOH health clinics nationwide," he said in a Facebook post in conjunction with the Academy of Family Physicians of Malaysia (AFPM) 2022 Convocation on Saturday (March 26).
Dr Noor Hisham said family medicine specialist training was now offered at six local universities for the Master of Family Medicine and through a parallel route under the programme offered by AFPM.
"Hopefully, this fraternity will continue to grow and more medical officers choose this specialty so that the health of individuals, families and communities will improve until the concept of One Family One Doctor is achieved," he said.
Earlier, he thanked Yang di-Pertuan Besar of Negri Sembilan Tuanku Muhriz Almarhum Tuanku Munawir, the patron of AFPM, for gracing the convocation and receiving the AFPM honorary fellow degree.
At the convocation, 200 graduates were awarded fellows, specialists, diplomas and certificates including the chairman of the Royal Australian College of General Practitioners, Dr Mark Miller, and deputy director (primary health) of MOH Family Health Development Division Dr Mastura Ismail, who was awarded the AFPM honorary fellow degree. - Bernama
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