Govt Plans To Put Health Clinics Under Hospital's Purview

BATU PAHAT, Dec 30 (Bernama) -- The Health Ministry is considering placing the administration of the government's health clinics under the purview of outpatient departments in hospitals to optimise human resources.

Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the move would enable smoother deployment and distribution of work, especially among doctors, and would facilitate better financial management.

"In a situation where we lack human resources such as doctors and nurses and other support staff, it is logical if a review is made for outpatient departments and health clinics to be merged under the administration of hospitals' outpatient departments," he said.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the Batu Pahat Health Clinic Thursday, he said doctors and nurses at health clinics were now not allowed to work at outpatient departments in hospitals and vice versa.

"If both (health clinics and hospitals' outpatient departments) were put under the administration of hospitals, it will allow flexibility to optimise existing human resources," he said.

The move would also make it easy for health clinic patients to seek services provided only by hospitals, Dr Chua said.

Doctors at health clinics could also obtain wider clinical experience, which is a pre-requisite if they want to undergo post-graduate studies, as they would be dealing with more patients at hospital wards, he said.

Presently, clinical exposure at health clinics was not recognised if the doctors wanted to further their studies, he said.

He said the study on the merger would be completed within one or two months' time before a decision was made.

Dr Chua also said that the Batu Pahat Health Clinic would be upgraded in 2006 under the Ninth Malaysia Plan where it would be equipped with various facilities including x-ray machines.

-- BERNAMA

It looks like our new MINIster in the MOH is at it again. This time he wants to reverse what has just been done not so long ago in the late 90's, probably 1996/97. Outpatient Departments/OPDs in gomen hospitals aka Jabatan Pesakit Luar/JPL have always been under the supervision of the Hospital Medical Superintendants now called Hospital Medical Directors. Then the last MINIster decided that it was time for a change and placed OPD/JPL under the local District Health Office/Pejabat Kesihatan Daerah. The pool of doctors in the OPD/JPL in past came from the hospital pool of doctors. With the change the OPD/JPL doctors were no longer from the hospital pool but came from doctors under the control of the District Health Officers. A portion of the doctors who were posted to the OPD/JPL were, in a manner of speaking, rejects from the various clinical departments of the hospital, some were waiting to resign and join the private sector, while others were marking time, waiting to be selected for further studies or transfers. Very few of the doctors are in the OPD/JPL by choice. Then came 1996/97 and the supervision and control of these doctors were transferred to the District Health Officer. As far as physical facilities were concerned most of the OPD/JPL remained where they were that is within the compounds of the hospitals. One fundamental change was that when there were insufficient doctors in the OPD/JPL, replacements/gantis were no longer sourced from the clinical departments of the hospital and often the District Health Officer had a difficult time looking for gantis. This often resulted in insufficient doctors to serve the OPD/JPL patients and of course complaints by patients mount. As the District Health Officer stays in his pejabat which is physically some distance from the OPD/JPL, the brunt of patients' complaints are directed to the office of the Hospital Medical Director. Unknowing to most patients the Hospital Medical Director is not the right proper officer to complain to. So patients are given the run-around with their complaints and temper rises.
Prior to 1996/97, the District Health Officer was administering only the Health Clinics in the district but with the change in 1996/97, the various OPD/JPL in his district also came under his supervision and administration. Now with the new plan, Health Kliniks would come under the administration of the Hospital Medical Director. The District Health Officer would be left with little to do or administer.
Some new physical facilities for OPD/JPL have been built since 1996/97 but these facilities are not within the vicinity of the hospitals which under the rancangan baru, the Medical Directors of which would be once again re-administering them. More confusion and problems are in store if the new plan is implemented.
Now what the new MINIster wants to do is to go back to pre-1996/97 circumstances. i cannot see why he has to gostan balik? As far as we know the majority of OPD/JPL doctors are not contemplating further studies and are not in the OPD/JPL to specialise. So what is the MINIster talking about when he mentions getting recognition for further studies while serving in the OPD/JPL or Health Kliniks? As for OPD/JPL and Health Klinik doctors managing hospital inpatients/ward patients, this is a no no. These doctors attend to outpatients and do one of two things, see and medicate and send the patients home or see and admit patients. Inpatient care is not in their job description. Is the MINIster going to suggest that they follow those patients they have admitted into the wards?
It looks like the new MINIster is keen to reverse more of what his predecessor had done. But is this re-organisation really necessary?