THE political landscape may be changing but nothing much has changed for our healthcare workers who are still struggling daily with rising cases of COVID-19, burnout, lack of manpower, beds, oxygen and equipment, said Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Professor Datuk Dr Subramaniam Muniandy.
Even the long-standing issue of contract doctors, too, has not been resolved and from the looks of things, this too may be put on hold yet again thanks to the escalating political situation in the country, he said in a statement today (Aug 16).
“The MMA hopes that while the nation face yet another uncertainty in leadership, these issues will not be conveniently forgotten.
“Whoever the government of the day is, it must ensure the wellbeing of healthcare workers remain a high priority especially during this time of a pandemic.
“Though there is an expected downtrend in hospital admissions by the end of August due to ramped up vaccinations, public hospitals are still overwhelmed with some states starting to see a spike in cases of COVID-19,” said Subramaniam.
He further went on to add that the country’s healthcare workers seem to have been taken for granted, with many of them feeling that their services are only needed now because of the pandemic.
Despite the emphasis placed on the Hippocratic Oath, healthcare workers are being stretched to the limits, with many even perishing from COVID-19 infections.
“It has been close to a month since the Prime Minister had informed MMA that it would be invited for policy discussions but none have taken place to date.
“Regardless the outcome in the country’s leadership, urgency is required in addressing these issues,” Subramaniam concluded. – Aug 16, 2021
