PETALING JAYA: Hospital Pekan in Pahang needs 80 medical officers (MO), but it has just over 50 as of June 1.
It is one of several government facilities that have been grappling with a manpower crunch this month.
As such, it has drawn up a contingency plan, noting that Hospital Tengku Ampuan Afzan (HTAA) in Kuantan, 45km away, had deployed MOs to Pekan on June 3.
In a notice signed by the hospital director, it said that on average, each MO is required to take up eight to 10 active on-call duties and active general pool on-call duties (inter-facility transfers) per month “as the current number of MO remains insufficient to meet service demands”.
A task force meeting was held on May 22 among the departments and clinical units to discuss measures such as having a pooled on-call system for medical and surgical-based disciplines, whereby the number of active on-call duties and active general pool on-call duties (inter-facility transfers) will be reduced to about five to six duties a month.
Hospital Pekan will only focus on elective surgical procedures, while emergency surgical cases within the General Surgery, Orthopaedics and Obstetrics & Gynaecology (O&G) disciplines presented after office hours will be referred to HTAA.
All elective procedures under “plastic surgery and otorhinolaryngology” will also be postponed.
The Star has learnt that Hospital Pekan requires 80 MOs, but it currently has 54 as only 70 positions had been filled.
Aside from that, 19 officers were scholars pursuing higher education under the Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (Federal Training Award).
These scholars come under a government-funded programme that supports doctors pursuing full-time specialist training while remaining in active service.
Acknowledging the manpower crunch, the Pahang health department (JKNP) said in a statement on June 10 that there are currently 850 MOs serving in the state.
“A review has found that the shortage of MOs in several facilities is attributable to a number of factors, including the movement of officers undertaking specialist training, transfers following permanent appointments at other facilities and resignations,” it noted.
The state health department said that it has taken measures such as optimising existing human resources, mobilising MOs from other public healthcare facilities through the cluster hospital initiative, as well as reallocating doctors based on service requirements and workload demands.
“JKNP remains committed to ensuring that the welfare of healthcare personnel continues to receive due attention, while also guaranteeing that healthcare services for the public are delivered with quality, safety, efficiency and effectiveness,” it added.
It was also reported that the O&G clinic in Hospital Segamat will be closed from July 1, while referrals for stable and elective cases from Rompin and Gemas will be deferred for now.
