MMA Seeks Fair Payment For Private Doctors In Government Clinics
Bernama, March 04, 2010 20:57 PM
KUALA LUMPUR, March 4 (Bernama) -- The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) on Thursday welcomed the invitation by the Health Ministry to private doctors to serve in the 162 government health clinics nationwide.
However, MMA president Dr David Quek Kwang Leng said he hoped that the government would allocate sufficient funds to allow the private doctors to serve in the clinics.
"It is true that private GPs and doctors are quite interested in helping out with the government initiative to help serve in government health clinics," he said.
Dr Quek said, however, that they had been informed earlier that the first preference for the openings for such locums was given to government doctors and that there was not enough budget to cater for more doctors from the private sector.
He said GPs and doctors in the private sector were keen to work with the Health Ministry to deal with the shortage of doctors and take part in the scheme.
"There has been no mechanism so far to make this work. Of course, our work must be fairly compensated," he said.
The Health Ministry, in a statement today, invited applications from private doctors registered with the MMA and fulfill the service requirement to serve at the 162 government health clinics nationwide.
Director-General of Health Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said they could work at the clinics on a "sessional" or "locum" basis and be paid RM80 per hour.
The working hours are from 8am to 5pm on normal working days (sessional) while the extended time is from 5pm to 9.30pm on Monday to Friday and 8am to noon on Saturday (locum).
-- BERNAMA
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Original Press Release (GPs for Government Clinics)
However, MMA president Dr David Quek Kwang Leng said he hoped that the government would allocate sufficient funds to allow the private doctors to serve in the clinics.
"It is true that private GPs and doctors are quite interested in helping out with the government initiative to help serve in government health clinics," he said.
Dr Quek said, however, that they had been informed earlier that the first preference for the openings for such locums was given to government doctors and that there was not enough budget to cater for more doctors from the private sector.
He said GPs and doctors in the private sector were keen to work with the Health Ministry to deal with the shortage of doctors and take part in the scheme.
"There has been no mechanism so far to make this work. Of course, our work must be fairly compensated," he said.
The Health Ministry, in a statement today, invited applications from private doctors registered with the MMA and fulfill the service requirement to serve at the 162 government health clinics nationwide.
Director-General of Health Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican said they could work at the clinics on a "sessional" or "locum" basis and be paid RM80 per hour.
The working hours are from 8am to 5pm on normal working days (sessional) while the extended time is from 5pm to 9.30pm on Monday to Friday and 8am to noon on Saturday (locum).
-- BERNAMA
-------------oooooo00000000ooooooo----------------------
Original Press Release (GPs for Government Clinics)
It is true that private GPs and doctors are quite interested in helping out with the government initiative to help serve in government health clinics. The MMA has been urging our underworked GPs to help out if there are shortages in the public sector health service.
However, when this was first proposed some 1-2 years ago, the number of opening for such a collaboration was really too small. When the positions for out-of-office hour locums were announced at RM80/hour, many GPs were very interested and tried to register with the MOH, but were unsuccessful.
It appears that government doctors, from medical officers, administrators, and registrars were all keenly vying to take part in this to earn extra income, thus there were no openings at all for the private sector to help out.
This was brought out in the open to the Minister of Health YB Dato Sri Liow, recently at our dialogue with the Ministry in early Jan 2010. A senior MOH official there, confirmed that the openings for such locums were given first preference to government public doctors, and that there was not enough budget to cater for more from the private sector.
We heard from the Minister that perhaps the MOH can allocate more funds to enable the GPs from the private sector to participate. Until now we have not had any feedback.
Thus GPs and doctors in private sector are very keen to work with the MOH to answer to the shortage of doctors if this were true. There has been no mechanism so far to make this work. Of course, our work must be fairly compensated.
We understand from our public sector members, that there has been a fairly large reduction in government hospital and clinic expenditure budgets, some by as much as 50%. So it is unlikely that the MOH can afford to extend this mechanism to utilise the services of the private sector.
The MMA maintains however, that more medical officers should be deployed to ensure that every health clinic be manned and supervised closely by doctors, so as to provide a minimum of standards of care for our rakyat, whether rich or poor.
Dr David Quek,
President MMA
However, when this was first proposed some 1-2 years ago, the number of opening for such a collaboration was really too small. When the positions for out-of-office hour locums were announced at RM80/hour, many GPs were very interested and tried to register with the MOH, but were unsuccessful.
It appears that government doctors, from medical officers, administrators, and registrars were all keenly vying to take part in this to earn extra income, thus there were no openings at all for the private sector to help out.
This was brought out in the open to the Minister of Health YB Dato Sri Liow, recently at our dialogue with the Ministry in early Jan 2010. A senior MOH official there, confirmed that the openings for such locums were given first preference to government public doctors, and that there was not enough budget to cater for more from the private sector.
We heard from the Minister that perhaps the MOH can allocate more funds to enable the GPs from the private sector to participate. Until now we have not had any feedback.
Thus GPs and doctors in private sector are very keen to work with the MOH to answer to the shortage of doctors if this were true. There has been no mechanism so far to make this work. Of course, our work must be fairly compensated.
We understand from our public sector members, that there has been a fairly large reduction in government hospital and clinic expenditure budgets, some by as much as 50%. So it is unlikely that the MOH can afford to extend this mechanism to utilise the services of the private sector.
The MMA maintains however, that more medical officers should be deployed to ensure that every health clinic be manned and supervised closely by doctors, so as to provide a minimum of standards of care for our rakyat, whether rich or poor.
Dr David Quek,
President MMA
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