100 days: MOH to work out best possible solution on issue of contract doctors

PUTRAJAYA: Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin has given an assurance that he will work out the best possible solution on the issue of contract doctors within the 100-day period the Ministry of Health (MOH) is under his administration.

He said the matter was currently under discussion with the public service sector stakeholders and the outcome would be announced later.

"I will work out the best possible solution to the issue of contract doctors. There are details that I don't wish to announce yet because discussions are still underway with the Treasury (Ministry of Finance) and also the Public Service Department (JPA).

"We will be able to see a good solution to the contract doctors' issue in 100 days," he told an interview on the MOH 100-day Key Performance Indicators (KPI) target, here.

On July 26, Finance Minister Tengku Datuk Seri Zafrul Tengku Abdul Aziz said the government had agreed to extend the contracts of about 14,000 medical doctors, dentists and pharmacists a period of two years (or 7,000 per cohort/year) which would involve a financial implication of RM1.2 billion.

Touching on other matters, Khairy said that within the 100 days, the MOH would endeavour to reduce the percentage backlog of non-COVID-19 patients in hospitals to 20 per cent for general (elective) surgery through outsourcing to private facilities nationwide.

He said it involved individuals requiring elective general surgeries for cancer and non-cancer cases, which could be detrimental if delayed for too long.

The Rembau Member of Parliament said the MOH also targeted 70 per cent of dental clinics to resume treatments such as fillings and tooth cleaning procedures that produced sprays (Aerosol Generating Procedure).

Apart from focusing on efforts to combat COVID-19, Khairy also stressed the issue of mental health in MOH's 100-day roadmap.

He said only a small percentage of the public knew about the existence of support lines to get help and, as such, the MOH would raise awareness through the Let's TALK Media Campaign in an effort to achieve better mental well-being.

"We will also increase the number of non-governmental organisations (NGOs) involved in mental health advocacy. Now, we already have 20 NGOs, and we will add 20 more. We will fund them to offer services on mental health," he said.

He said the MOH would also improve the primary health services to the community through the use of tele-consultation at selected health clinics.

-- BERNAMA