Govt hospitals getting ready for higher traffic

By SIM LEOI LEOI

Star, 9th June 2008

PUTRAJAYA: Public hospitals are being geared up to expect a higher volume of patients seeking their services now that the price of fuel has been increased.

Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said the ministry had already taken a few steps to recruit more doctors and nurses as well as upgrade hospital facilities.

"We have already decided to extend our services to after office hours and on Saturdays. If need be, we may even open our clinics on Sundays because there are too many patients.

"We are also trying to attract Malaysian doctors working overseas to return and we are looking for ways to engage private doctors into working at public hospitals.

"At present, most private doctors with us are only offering outpatient treatment and there are very few specialists. I think our terms are not attractive enough so we'll have to re-look our conditions again," he told reporters Monday after launching the breast cancer pathology update at Putrajaya Hospital here.

Liow said many private doctors had indicated to him their interest in working in public hospitals due to the more challenging nature of the cases.

Asked if he expected public hospitals to come under strain from the increase in patients, Liow said many district hospitals were already facing difficulties.

"I know of certain hospitals which have only five or seven doctors working," he said, adding that the Government service loses some 300 doctors and 50 specialists each year.

Public hospitals are 98% subsidised by the Government. Last Wednesday, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi had announced a 78 sen increase for each litre of petrol.

Liow also said National Healthcare Financing Scheme would not be implemented any time soon as a report on its economic viability would not be ready by year-end.

On breast cancer, Liow said 3,738 new cases had been reported since 2003, 64% of these were patients between 40 and 60 years of age. "Breast cancer makes up 31% of newly-diagnosed female cancer cases," he said, adding that the ministry would continue to advocate breast self-examination among women as one method of early detection.

Liow said currently, there were 55 public hospitals treating breast cancer and more tests would be available soon to detect the ailment among women.