Segamat MP R. Yuneswaran calls for the expedited formation of a parliamentary special select committee on public health to propose solutions to congestion in public hospitals caused by staff shortages.
Perikatan Nasional’s shadow health minister says the government should also upgrade “unsafe” MOH facilities and offer detailed plans to raise health spending to 5% of GDP in 5 years.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa tells aggrieved government health care workers to be more "mature" and to avoid going on strike, saying this will not solve problems, while DG Hisham says those planning to strike should not compromise patient safety.
Health Minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa says MOH can't recruit more doctors without additional positions or funding provided by JPA and MOF, adding that she will be meeting with state health directors and hospital directors on Feb 28.
MOH registered a record-high 274,987 positions in 2021, but 7.8% (21,463) were vacant. MOH's latest annual report states that despite an increased supply of doctors, there's still a shortage. But the report doesn't provide figures on the gap.
Opposition Leader Hamzah Zainudin criticises the Pakatan Harapan (PH) government for not addressing contract doctor issues raised by Hartal Doktor Kontrak after PH's "heroics" when it was in opposition.
Like the Emergency Medical Hologram on Star Trek Voyager as they journeyed through the Delta Quadrant, BHIS was forced to support the entire Selayang Hospital for far longer than it was meant to, including through the crazy months of the Delta wave.
A government pharmacist in MOH central administration says superiors discourage health care workers from visiting psychiatric clinics for issues like panic attacks or insomnia because "it won't look good on you", as they're seen as no longer productive.
MOH hospitals will slowly degenerate to provide just the barest minimum care, since there will always be doctors who will stay on, and so the system will never collapse.