Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Prof Datuk Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said the country’s healthcare system has been ailing for several years now and is on the verge of collapse. – Bernama File Photo
BINTULU (June 25): The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) is calling on all members of Parliament and the Malaysian government to expedite reparative actions to fortify the healthcare system.
MMA honorary general secretary Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo said the country’s healthcare system has been ailing for several years now and is on the verge of collapse.
In an open letter to the MPs and government dated June 23, he said the MMA and Section Concerning House Officers, Medical Officers and Specialists (Schomos) highlighted three items that require urgent attention from the lawmakers and administration.
The three items are correcting the severe lack of human resource and providing avenues for its development in the public healthcare sector; acknowledging the critical nature of the healthcare sector; and the need for implementation of a well-coordinated, science-based approach across all sectors of government toward the National Recovery Plan to ensure its success.
“MMA and Schomos raised the alarm several years ago that there has been a severe lack of human resource in the public healthcare system, despite a seemingly healthy doctor-to-population ratio.
“This has clearly been evidenced by the rise in burnout syndrome amongst healthcare personnel in the country, especially during this Covid-19 pandemic.
“This issue is exacerbated by the lack of job security and opportunities for career progression faced by our junior contract doctors, who form the bulk of our Covid-19 response teams,” he said in a statement yesterday.
According to him, the facilities and equipment are only one half of a functioning hospital unit while the human resource component is the other half, and it requires serious investment in terms of money and especially time to get trained workers.
Dr Thirunavukarasu said physical capital can be bought in a matter of days, but human capital requires decades of nurturing.
“Manage the latter poorly, and we will surely see a tsunami wave of brain drain,” he cautioned.
The MMA had been informed on the proposal of an extended contract by the Ministry of Health, but they have been waiting for such a resolution since this contract system started in December 2016, he pointed out.
“Even while warding off death in the Covid-19 wards, our junior doctors are still waiting for a fair decision and clarity from the government if they are able to continue working when their contract expires and if they are able to undergo training for specialisation.
“The current contract system is messy, biased and a failure as it has given them uncertainty in their employment in the government service and in their future as healthcare professionals,” he said.
It is understood that this issue was raised in an open letter issued on Feb 19.
“We have even provided a host of cost-effective suggestions, but they were met with a lack of meaningful engagement and empty lip service from the authorities that be.
“Where are the sorely-needed answers and accountability? Many contract doctors are already leaving whilst waiting for a definitive verdict from the government. The longer we wait, the more we have to lose,” Dr Thirunavukarasu said.
Elaborating on the second item, he said the Malaysian government has to recognise the critical nature of the healthcare sector and safeguard its integrity, as it is one of the crucial pillars of national development.
One such method of recognition, he said, is the critical allowance which was almost revoked in the past year and was previously announced that there were plans to review its removal at a later date.
“Nevertheless, this Covid-19 pandemic has shown that our profession cannot be judged by the number of working hours but by several other factors.
“Let there be no other doubt or queries if this allowance should be continued indefinitely, as healthcare workers have proven time and again to be critical to our nation’s health and security,” he said.
Dr Thirunavukarasu pointed out that if there were to be a review, this should be made for an increment and not otherwise.
“Healthcare workers have been defending the country’s health for the past 18 months, but their energy is waning despite their best intentions.
“Thus, MMA believes that Malaysia urgently requires a comprehensive plan that is firmly founded in scientific evidence, in line with international standards.”
He said the National Recovery Plan announced by Prime Minister Tan Sri Muhyiddin Yassin on May 16 falls short of this standard as it merely stated the various indicators of the country’s readiness to progress to the subsequent phase of recovery, and fails to outline any measures the government will be employing to work towards those goals.
“Even then, those stated numbers are highly disputable. We cannot use gross numbers alone to guide public health decisions; rather, these decisions have to take into account a lot of other factors, such as daily positive detection rates, daily testing numbers, development of new clusters, spread of new strains and others,” he said.
He questioned why the intensive care unit (ICU) usage was labelled as ‘moderate’ when many general wards are being repurposed into makeshift ICUs.
Even with these makeshift ICUs, he said some hospitals have found it necessary to erect field hospitals for more ICU capacity.
Furthermore, many doctors are being pulled from their departments for deployment to the Covid-19 frontlines, worsening the manpower deficit in those departments, he added.
“The Covid-19 pandemic has caused widespread devastation across the country, wreaking havoc on the economy and the people’s way of life.
“We have had nearly 700,000 Covid-19 cases and more than 4,000 deaths since this disease crossed our borders in January 2020.
“Our RM5 billion National Immunisation Programme has finally taken off after many bumps on the road, and we hope that it will play a significant role in suppressing the pandemic’s devastating blows to all aspects of our daily life,” he said.
Dr Thirunavukarasu said healthcare workers have been at the forefront in the war against Covid-19, working tirelessly around the clock to ensure that their fellow countrymen receive the best available care possible.
Having to work non-stop without any breaks or holidays in between since 18 months ago, he said many of them are already suffering from burnout, yet they have remained steadfast at their posts to discharge their duties and serve the nation.