THE government must immediately implement measures to overcome health staff at government hospitals, said MCA today.

The party’s vice president Lawrence Low said the government, especially the Health Ministry, can’t afford to sit still while government hospitals are facing staff shortage, especially doctors.

He said that he had raised this issue months earlier but the matter was not tackled by the ministry.

“What was predicted at the beginning of 2023 has now become a reality because the authorities seem to take this matter lightly and adopt an indifferent approach to it,” Low said in a statement.

In recent days it was reported that government hospitals nationwide are facing frontline staff shortage.

Adding to that, in the Serdang Hospital, its operating theatres are reportedly unable to be used due to maintenance issues, resulting in approximately 1,000 heart surgeries being postponed.

Elsewhere in Kulim, the hospital there had put up a notice to the public that there would be a long wait due to lack of doctors.

Low said the ministry must quickly establish a special committee to gather information on the shortage of healthcare workers nationwide and take various proactive measures to reduce its impact on public health and welfare.

He said the move by Health Minister Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad to immediately redeploy trainee doctors to district hospitals in need was a good short-term solution.

“It is also hoped that the Ministry of Health will implement measures to improve our public health system and conditions for government medical workers for the medium and long term for the greater good of people,” Low added. – May 17, 2024.