No action taken to nab bogus doctor

Star, 30th April 2008.

I REFER to the various articles in The Star on the PHSFA (Private Healthcare Services and Facilities Act). In my opinion, the Medical Act 1971 is enough; the only thing lacking is enforcement.

Sad to say, the PHSFA is lacking in enforcement to catch bogus doctors. It seems more interested in penalising genuine doctors than bogus doctors.

This has been demonstrated in the case of a bogus doctor working in the emergency department of a private hospital for the past few months. The MOH was notified but refused to conduct any raid to catch him.

The bogus doctor was let off without even a warning and so was the private hospital. The bogus doctor nearly killed a few patients because of his lack of knowledge.

The MOH refused to act even though it had been informed of the days and time the bogus doctor was working. The private hospital even promoted the culprit responsible for hiring the bogus doctor, who is still around working in various clinics.

The MOH can still act to persecute the hospital as the bogus doctor has worked in the hospital emergency department for several months, and all the records, his signature on prescriptions, medical certificates, death certificates are there. Witnesses are aplenty – consultants, doctors, nurses, attendants, patients – they can testify that he worked there.

The reluctance of the MOH to persecute is baffling. Is it due to political influence or is it trying to cover up?

The same private hospital has also been cheating patients and insurance companies by charging patients for non-existent products that the patients never used. Patients have not complained because they are not aware of this as their bills are paid by the insurance companies.

Even though the insurance companies pay because the patients are covered by insurance, it is still cheating the patients because the patients have an annual limit. The insurance companies should blacklist and boycott this hospital.

The specialists in the hospital also cheat the insurance companies by admitting patients for general check-ups and altering the diagnosis of patients.

There is widespread cheating of the insurance companies by specialists. Consultants charge exorbitant fees and make unnecessary visits amounting to five or six times a day. Patients are charged consultant fees even for a simple hello by the consultant. In the end, the public suffer as the premiums go up.

ANOTHER DOCTOR,
Kuala Lumpur.