Prescription for progress

IT has been over 50 days since Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad returned to helm the Health Ministry, and the to-do list is long. The expectations are high as he returns at a time where healthcare reforms are needed more than ever, especially with legacy issues that have been simmering over four changes of government.

One thing that warrants immediate attention is the management of manpower in the healthcare sector.

The patience of healthcare workers is wearing thin, given the never-ending issues related to the allocation of manpower in the public healthcare sector.

Many junior doctors have voiced concerns on the limited offering for the Hadiah Latihan Persekutuan (HLP) scholarship as well as the long wait for entry into the parallel pathway programme or the specialist training programme.

Junior doctors will require the HLP to complete the necessary rotations for their training, without which they will not be able to apply for specialist registration through the National Specialist Register.

This will only lead to a shortage of specialists in government service.

Imagine there won’t be enough specialists in the future to attend to patients in a country where about 70% of its population are dependent on public healthcare.

So, who do we turn to when we are ill?

This will mean that the waiting hours for patients will get longer and those who cannot afford private healthcare may end up in limbo.

Health Ministry officials say there could have been some confusion over the issue of the parallel pathway programme, and that it is being addressed.

But what is needed right now is a clear cut answer on how this will be addressed. In fact, Dzulkefly himself has said in a post on X that he has placed the issue as part of his 100-day KPI.

“(Even if) I risk ‘failing’ in this KPI, do it l must!” he posted on X on Jan 27.

He said he had met medical stakeholders and is positive that an amicable closure could be found.

“Again, l stress, never lose sight of the forest for the trees. Even in dire need to increase the number of specialists, we must not compromise on our quality,” he added.

Dzulkefly said it is not in the ministry or the nation’s interest to abolish the Parallel Pathway programme, adding that it is important to promptly find a way to harmonise the specialists training programmes, which meet the requirements of local laws, regulations and standards, to achieve the urgent need for specialists.

He may have his heart in the right place, but the system needs a reform, and it requires a whole-of-government approach to address this.

The issue of permanent placement for contract doctors continues.

This is further exacerbated with maldistribution of healthcare workers, where some hospitals and departments were left to deal with shortages. It is time to do it right by junior doctors, whose future is already uncertain due to the contract system.

Let’s not forget that they will be the ones looking after us in the future.

With more doctors leaving the civil service, Malaysians will be paying the price in the long haul, where they may not have immediate medical attention due to long queues.

There have been calls for the medical fraternity to manage its own human resources.

The idea of the Health Ministry being empowered to manage and hire its own personnel without having to go through the Public Service Department has been bandied around. Perhaps it could be done through a commission.

It is an idea worth exploring, as the current system has proven to be problematic.

This goes beyond just the Health Ministry; the entire government has to come together to resolve this.

Close to 900 specialists have resigned from the Health Ministry from 2018 to 2022.

The Malaysian population to specialist ratio is estimated to be at 10,000:4 while the OECD standards stipulate 10,000:14.3.

The numbers speak for themselves. If this continues, we may not be able to stop doctors from migrating overseas in droves, which we have been seeing in the past few years.

Disappointed by the lack of opportunities and the uncertainty over their future, these doctors have sought greener pastures in other countries, where they can keep their career alive and where their service is needed.

There is no point in just talking about brain drain; it is high time a clear solution was found to address this.

We need healthcare workers to care for our health.

We need good doctors who are well trained.

The healthcare sector needs healing; that is only possible if the morale of healthcare workers are taken care of. And this is possible if their future is secure.

Malaysia needs to be a healthy nation to remain competitive. And for this to happen, the doctors cannot be sick.