Health DG tells why shift system is being considered for govt clinics

Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah says government clinics were already crowded even before MCO was enforced.

PUTRAJAYA: Health director-general Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah says a proposed shift system at government clinics is aimed at spacing out the clinics to comply with Covid-19 standard operating procedures.

This is on top of practising an appointment system, encouraging medicine to be delivered through the postal service, and enhancing home care.

At a press conference, Noor Hisham said the government clinics were already crowded even before the movement control order was enforced.

“In some clinics, two doctors share one room. We can no longer do this as we have to avoid confined spaces,” he said.

It is understood that the proposed shift system would not apply to all clinics but to certain busy clinics in big cities.

Noor Hisham said the idea of a shift system had been put forward, and as director-general, he had to look at all available options in “maximising facilities with minimal costs while getting good outcomes”.

Presently, he said, the government clinics also had extended hours where they would open until 10pm.

“But, with the extended hours, they work longer, from morning, and carry on. If we have a shift system, we can appoint more doctors and nurses and use the existing facilities, otherwise we have to build more facilities.”

The Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) has spoken against the proposal, saying a poll it carried out showed a majority of some 9,000 health ministry personnel disagreed with it.

MMA said the respondents cited concerns over an increase in workload and the possibility of eventual burnout.

Noor Hisham said that before the proposal could be implemented, the ministry must ascertain if it could get additional allocations to appoint more doctors and nurses.

On the list of “green zone” countries from which foreigners can enter without prior permission from the Immigration Department, he said Malaysia was discussing the standard operating procedures with six countries.

“We need to identify the countries first, then discuss the details of the SOPs. It must be mutual and reciprocal, so both sides can follow the same protocol.”

He said six countries – Singapore, Brunei, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and South Korea – had tentatively been identified but discussions were still at an early stage.

On why Singapore was considered a green zone while it continued to record a high number of cases, he said the cases there, like Malaysia, mostly involved foreign workers.

“We do not allow the foreign workers (to come in) but we allow Singaporeans, for example, who have not been to other countries,” he said. - FMT