Excluding male doctors would be a major step in the wrong direction

Chinese Maternity Hospital midwife M C Chan and staff nurse S Jeyalaksmi tending to newborn babies at the confinement wards nursery.

WITH reference to the report on Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya saying that the Government planned to have only female doctors deliver babies in public hospitals, we, several past presidents of the Obstetrical and Gynaecological Society of Malaysia (OGSM), would like to state our opinion that this move will be a major step backwards in the progress of maternity and neonatal safety in Malaysia.

Every year, about 250 mothers in Malaysia die during childbirth. There are various strategies in place to further reduce this number in a concerted effort by the various stakeholders including the Health Ministry and the OGSM.