PUTRAJAYA: The manpower restructuring at several government hospitals in the past month was only done as an interim measure, says Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad.
The Health Minister stressed that such measures were taken to ensure healthcare services would proceed without any interruptions.
“This is all for the time being and a temporary measure.
“It may have different terms such as manpower redistribution, recalibration and so forth but the priority is to ensure uninterrupted healthcare services,” he said on Friday (June 19).
Dzulkefly said this after witnessing the memorandum of understanding exchange between the Health Ministry and Sarawak Energy Berhad for the construction of the Bakun-Murum Health Clinic at the ministry's headquarters today.
He explained that the restructuring is just one of the ministry’s measures under the cluster crisis management system.
“Our focus is also towards ensuring the strain on the healthcare workforce is kept at the bare minimum, be it doctors or nurses.
“While it is an inherited issue, we are doing everything possible to resolve things,” he said.
He was responding to a question on manpower shortages across several government hospitals in the past month.
This includes the Segamat, Lahad Datu, Sandakan, Ipoh and Pekan hospitals where hospitals had to restructure their services.
On another matter, the Health Minister said the total number of specialists serving in government healthcare facilities added are in tandem with infrastructural facilities.
“That is why adding the total number of specialists is done in phases continuously and based on current needs and demands.
“We have our planning as well in terms of hospitals and facilities, and we synchronise specialists with these factors,” he said.
Dzulkefly was responding to a statement by the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) warning that a shortage of medical specialists is putting public healthcare at risk.
MMA president Datuk Dr Thirunavakarasu Rajoo said 70% of Malaysians rely on public hospitals, and when the country loses specialists, these patients suffer through longer wait times and delayed treatment.
According to Dr Thirunavakarusu, new administrative barriers were making the process more difficult with confusing eligibility rules and performance appraisal requirements that fall under different government departments.
