KUALA LUMPUR – Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai, who has assumed the mantle of Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president, has vowed to continue pushing for reforms sought by the organisation, which is dedicated towards promoting the honour and interests of the profession, and educating people on public health matters.
The general practitioner (GP), who has a law degree and a master’s in business administration (MBA), officially began his term at the closing of MMA’s annual general meeting held recently.
His immediate predecessor Dr Koh Kar Chai upon completion of his tenure handed over the reins to Dr Muruga Raj who will lead the association for the new 2022-2023 term.
With the tabling of Budget 2023 scheduled on October 7, Dr Muruga Raj asked the government for an increase in the nation’s healthcare expenditure.
“With reforms on the Health Ministry’s agenda, sufficient allocations will be needed,” he said in his inaugural speech at MMA’s annual banquet in Putrajaya last night.
“As you might know, we have asked for the bare minimum of 5% of the nation’s gross domestic product for the 2023 healthcare budget.”
“For many years we have been managing with a miniscule amount and yet have delivered a high level of care for the population. But the system, as we all know, is overstretched and a number of our facilities are ageing,” he said.
He lauded Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin for his strong commitment towards reforms in the healthcare system and vowed to continue MMA’s push for the much needed changes.
He also thanked Dr Koh for starting the ball rolling on healthcare reforms from the beginning of his term by issuing many press statements on the matter, and assured that he will continue MMA’s push for reforms.
Dr Muruga Raj also noted the human resource issues in healthcare that need to be looked into together with both the Health Ministry (MoH) and the Public Service Department (PSD).
“I hope to engage with the PSD soon on charting the way forward on the issues of manpower in our healthcare system,” Dr Muruga Raj said.
Present at the event was Datuk Kamel Mohamad, deputy director-general of PSD, who represented the director-general Datuk Seri Mohd Shafiq Abdullah.
Dr Muruga Raj also said that there has been some notable progress on the issue of contract doctors although there was still a long way to go towards a more sustainable solution.
He asked if it was possible for PSD to double the number of permanent positions for doctors hired on contract.
“We hope that these concerns will be adequately addressed through the white paper, which is expected to be tabled in November,” he said.
Concerns over ageing society, bullying of health workers
Dr Muruga Raj also expressed concern over Malaysia’s readiness for an ageing population.
“In another eight to 10 years or so, Malaysia will reach ageing nation status where 15% of the population will be 60 years or older.
“With an increase in our older population, the demands for healthcare especially in specialist services are expected to significantly increase. This will require analytical and strategic planning in healthcare human resources and supporting infrastructure to prepare the country well.”
Another issue Dr Muruga Raj will be working to address during his term is the issue of bullying among healthcare workers in the public healthcare system.
“I will also make it my mission to tackle an issue that really saddens me as a healthcare professional and that is the issue of bullying in the public healthcare system,” he said.
“It is disturbing to hear. So let me just say that bullying will not be tolerated any longer as I will work together with MoH and colleagues to ensure that this cancerous behaviour that has crept into the system is dealt with,” he added.
He expressed hope that Malaysians will take a more proactive approach towards their own health, pointing to the increasing cases of non-communicable diseases, which he described as “worrying”.
“With healthcare costs increasing, even those with medical coverage may end up relying on government healthcare services. Many are aware of this but only begin to think about their health when they are diagnosed with a health condition.”
“The way forward in managing health is to take preventive steps now with a holistic approach consisting of a healthy diet, sufficient daily rest, regular exercise and importantly, a scheduled medical check-up with your GP. These are simple steps that can prevent diseases, hospitalisation and high medical expenses.”
Dr Muruga Raj graduated from Kasturba Medical College in Manipal, India.
He also has a law degree from the University of London and an MBA from Asia Metropolitan University, Malaysia.
He currently practises medicine as a private GP in Kempas, Johor Baru.
“Some years ago when I had the intention to contest for the president’s post, I felt I needed to prepare myself well,” he said.
“Only a few of you might know that I actually did my master’s in business administration and last year I graduated with a law degree.”
“I suppose you can call it lifelong learning but I believe these credentials will be useful to have as the president of Malaysia’s largest doctors’ group.”
MMA’s executive council for the new term also includes: Dr Koh Kar Chai (immediate past president), Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz (president-elect), Datuk Dr Thirunavukarasu Rajoo (honorary general secretary), Dr Vasu Pillai Letchumanan (honorary general treasurer), Dr Arvindran Alaga and Dr Sivanaesan Letchumanan (honorary deputy secretaries), Dr Ahmad Filza Ismail (chairman, section concerning house officers, medical officers and specialists), and Dr Balachandran Krishnan (chairman, private practitioners’ section), – The Vibes, September 11, 2022
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