KUALA LUMPUR – In a rare burst of lamentation, the Malaysian Medical Council (MMA) has sounded the alarm of an acute shortage of manpower at the district level (PKD) and at government clinics (KK), with government department staff struggling to cope with the surge in cases of Covid-19.
Its president Prof Datuk Dr Subramaniam Muniandy said the Health Ministry (MoH) must take a serious view of the situation and urgently address manpower shortages, especially in the Klang Valley where cases are the highest.
Continued shortages in personnel will lead to compromises in the standard of care and further burnout among healthcare personnel, he said.
“Cases of Covid-19 have already spread into the community, and therefore we can expect cases to continue rising in the coming weeks. We can’t afford to wait for the situation to worsen. Immediate steps are needed.”
“Currently, the district health officers are tasked with the daily Covid-19 management duties of triaging, screening, assessing, contact tracing, monitoring and home monitoring of Category 1 and 2 Covid-19 patients.
“Apart from this, they also manage acute and chronic non-Covid-19 cases on a daily basis.
“The district health officers feel like they are pulled in every direction and with the surge in cases, the system is on the verge of collapse,” he added in a statement today.
Dr Subramaniam said the MoH should consider roping in the housemen who are awaiting posting, as well as medical students, nursing students, and also medical assistants with basic medical knowledge and training to help on the ground with contact tracing.
The monitoring of Covid-19 category 1 and 2 cases should be digitalised and linked to MySejahtera, he said. With proper monitoring and coordination enabled through digitalisation, more private general practitioners would also be willing to participate in the programmes.
“MoH should also go paperless and digitalise as much as possible as it can greatly reduce the time staff are spending on paperwork,” the doctor stressed.
“More efficient use of time is needed now at these PKDs and KKs where ‘Persons Under Investigation’ (PUI), ‘Persons Under Surveillance’ (PUS), and Covid-19 positive patients being reported are increasing.
“Staff at these PKDs and KKs are overwhelmed, therefore processes need to be simplified while the highest standards of care are maintained.”
On non-Covid-19 cases, Dr Subramaniam said that it is time the government ropes in the services of private practitioners.
“A number of these acute and chronic cases, for a nominal fee, can be outsourced to private clinics or private hospitals,” he said. “This will allow MoH to focus its resources on managing Covid-19.
“The ministry cannot take on this fight against Covid-19 on its own. It needs all the help it can get right now. The whole-of-society and whole-of-nation approach should be put in practice.”
Malaysia saw 3,780 new Covid-19 cases today and 36 people dying of the virus.
The country has thus far recorded a total of 470,110 Covid-19 infections and 1,902 deaths since the pandemic began.
According to the MoH, 520 patients are currently treated at ICUs, with 272 requiring ventilator support. – The Vibes, May 16, 2021
