MMA supports move by government in reassigning nurses

THE Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) said it supported the government’s move to reassign nurses from clinics to wards and hopes for its smooth implementation.

Its president, Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz said the Ministry of Health's (MOH) reassigning of nurses from clinics to wards is a good move which they believe will optimise nursing staff amid the shortages of nurses at public healthcare facilities. 

“We commend the Minister and the director-general of Health for their progressive efforts and encourage continued commitment to reshaping the healthcare workforce distribution in addressing the healthcare needs of the population.

“If well implemented, the reassignments may even significantly reduce the workload in some of the hospital wards affected by a maldistribution of healthcare workers - an issue that has been highlighted before by the MMA,” she said in a statement.

MMA also said the positions vacated as a result of the reassignments should be promptly filled to prevent any disruptions to services. 

The importance of training must also be emphasised, added Dr Azizan. 

She said the shortages in healthcare personnel have underscored yet again the importance of digitalising the healthcare system which will enable data-driven decisions as well as effective mapping and planning of healthcare human resources.

“We acknowledge that there may be initial challenges in addressing speciality-specific demands; however, given time, we are confident of the ministry overcoming them. 

“We believe data-driven decisions and real-time monitoring will be the way forward for effective planning of workforce placement. 

“The MMA believes that increased efficiency and productivity can be achieved through a digital system enabling data-driven decisions,” she said. 

Dr Azizan said digitalisation will be crucial for both immediate and future planning of public healthcare human resources in ensuring healthcare services cater to community needs. 

Healthcare services should be planned in response to the needs of the population; not determined by the size of budgets or the number of posts created., she added. - The Vibes, January 9, 2024