THE crisis hitting Serdang Hospital where its operating theatres reportedly cannot be used due to maintenance issues, resulting in approximately 1,000 heart surgeries being postponed comes hardly as a surprise, said an MCA leader.
The party’s vice president Datuk Lawrence Low said considering that the reported staff shortages in the hospital, including just about 100 nurses, this is a longstanding issue which is also encountered in other government hospitals to varying degrees.
For context, findings from a CodeBlue survey last February revealed that about 62% of permanent staff in the healthcare system were considering to resign, and more than 70% were experiencing overwork, inadequate pay, physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion due to prolonged pressure.
“Back then, I had urged the government to improve the healthcare system in the country to prevent a crisis in the sector in the future,” Low said in a statement on Friday (May 17).
“I had also questioned if the government was delaying in addressing the issue. Unfortunately, the government, especially the Health Ministry (MOH), does not appear to be serious nor determined to tackle this predicament.”
Low said what was predicted in 2023 has now become a reality as the authorities seem to take this matter lightly and adopt an indifferent approach to it.
“Therefore, I appeal to the highest management of the MOH to 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.
“I commend the action of the Health Minister, Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad, who directed for the immediate redeployment of trainee doctors to district hospitals in need.
“This is good for short-term solutions. It is also hoped that the MOH 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.”
On Tuesday (May 14) The Star reported that the Pusat Jantung Hospital Serdang (Serdang Heart Centre) which opened in December 2022 is reportedly facing critical issues as four of its operating theatres are unable to be utilised citing maintenance issues.
According to the report, the RM546 mil new facility was meant to reduce dependency on Kuala Lumpur’s National Heart Institute (IJN).
However, the Sultan Idris Shah Hospital, or popularly known as Serdang Hospital, which houses the heart centre, continues to carry out two to three heart surgeries a day at its old building.
It is learnt that Serdang Hospital has only one of its four older operating theatres operational. – May 17, 2024
Main pic credit: Kosmo
