Wow, finally the Report on the Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the PDRM is out. This took a total of 18 months from the formation of the Royal Commission to the handing over of the final report. Meanwhile our present gomen has used up some 14 months of its lifespan, that is, before the 12th election is upon us, which could be as early as some time in 2008.
It is time for the gomen to set up another :: a Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Doctors & Paramedical Staff in the Health Service. This is another public service which has not met up with public expectations and there are plenty of grouses, both from tthe public as well as the doctors and paramedical staff. Even the new MINister of Health was unhappy with the waiting time at the JPL when he took charge. Now we have a new DG and he was quite unhappy with the state of affairs in the gomen hospitals and health facilities. So, should we wait longer for matters to get worse and worse.
Now is the right time to overhaul the health services, now that we have a new PM, who wants the very best for his people and not himself; a new Health MINIster (who is also a medical doctor at that) and a new very enthusiatic as well as energetic DG of Health. The latter, who has been, a houseman, a medical officer and a specialist and now the DG, has had all his medical developmental stages spent in this very MINIstry of Health. Both the MINIster and the DG having served in the MINIstry of Health must be all too familiar with what are the ailments to be found within it and being doctors they surely must have the cures and preventive measures needed to restore to their MINIstry to better health.
It is also timely and very opportune that a Royal Commission be set up as the National Health Financing Scheme will be soon hoisted on an unknowing public. With the recent developments in the medical field, with a graying population, a population with a longer life expectations, public expectations of the health services run high. Maybe the gomen should withhold rolling out this scheme for the moment and allow what is wrong with the health services be set right first.
We used to have a health service which was the envy of many, if not almost all, developing nations. But now there are many things wrong with it. Many view the myriads of problems within the health services as a result of the MINitsry having a 'tak tentu arah' policy ie it has no definite policy of wanting to keep its doctors in service and added in recent years there is also the problem of a virtually mono-ethnic paramedical work force. Over the years under the leadership of our recently retired PM, there has been a subtle shift to have health services removed from the responsibilities of the gomen. There was the attempt to corporatised gomen hospitals and the privatisation of ancilliary services like drugs, laundary and cleansing services. These over the years have not produced the expected results and savings. In the background there appears to be a subtle push on the doctors to move to the private sector to set up practice. The push by the gomen for health tourism money has further accelerated this move. Now with the economic downturn, there is a bigger demand made on services at gomen hospital and health facilities. This has lead to more problems and unhappiness. The Health MINIstry is one of those money losing ministries, where its expenditure leads to little or no income from the services it provide. And over the years its expenditure has climbed and climbed and the gomen now claims that it is not possible for it to allow it to climb further and it can ill-afford without going into bigger deficits.
Presently the problems faced by the MINIstry is being tackled on a rather adhoc basis, what is needed is a more holistic approach which a Royal Commission can provide. Recommendations by a Royal Commission looking into the ills of the health services will definitely see implementation by the abovementioned three individuals-- the PM, the MINIster and the DG-- who surely have the wellbeing of the public and the public's health close to their hearts.
More on this, when time permits and inspirasi kembali.
It is time for the gomen to set up another :: a Royal Commission to Enhance the Operation and Management of the Doctors & Paramedical Staff in the Health Service. This is another public service which has not met up with public expectations and there are plenty of grouses, both from tthe public as well as the doctors and paramedical staff. Even the new MINister of Health was unhappy with the waiting time at the JPL when he took charge. Now we have a new DG and he was quite unhappy with the state of affairs in the gomen hospitals and health facilities. So, should we wait longer for matters to get worse and worse.
Now is the right time to overhaul the health services, now that we have a new PM, who wants the very best for his people and not himself; a new Health MINIster (who is also a medical doctor at that) and a new very enthusiatic as well as energetic DG of Health. The latter, who has been, a houseman, a medical officer and a specialist and now the DG, has had all his medical developmental stages spent in this very MINIstry of Health. Both the MINIster and the DG having served in the MINIstry of Health must be all too familiar with what are the ailments to be found within it and being doctors they surely must have the cures and preventive measures needed to restore to their MINIstry to better health.
It is also timely and very opportune that a Royal Commission be set up as the National Health Financing Scheme will be soon hoisted on an unknowing public. With the recent developments in the medical field, with a graying population, a population with a longer life expectations, public expectations of the health services run high. Maybe the gomen should withhold rolling out this scheme for the moment and allow what is wrong with the health services be set right first.
We used to have a health service which was the envy of many, if not almost all, developing nations. But now there are many things wrong with it. Many view the myriads of problems within the health services as a result of the MINitsry having a 'tak tentu arah' policy ie it has no definite policy of wanting to keep its doctors in service and added in recent years there is also the problem of a virtually mono-ethnic paramedical work force. Over the years under the leadership of our recently retired PM, there has been a subtle shift to have health services removed from the responsibilities of the gomen. There was the attempt to corporatised gomen hospitals and the privatisation of ancilliary services like drugs, laundary and cleansing services. These over the years have not produced the expected results and savings. In the background there appears to be a subtle push on the doctors to move to the private sector to set up practice. The push by the gomen for health tourism money has further accelerated this move. Now with the economic downturn, there is a bigger demand made on services at gomen hospital and health facilities. This has lead to more problems and unhappiness. The Health MINIstry is one of those money losing ministries, where its expenditure leads to little or no income from the services it provide. And over the years its expenditure has climbed and climbed and the gomen now claims that it is not possible for it to allow it to climb further and it can ill-afford without going into bigger deficits.
Presently the problems faced by the MINIstry is being tackled on a rather adhoc basis, what is needed is a more holistic approach which a Royal Commission can provide. Recommendations by a Royal Commission looking into the ills of the health services will definitely see implementation by the abovementioned three individuals-- the PM, the MINIster and the DG-- who surely have the wellbeing of the public and the public's health close to their hearts.
More on this, when time permits and inspirasi kembali.
No comments:
Post a Comment