Materia Medica Malaysiana

Take action against 24-hour clinics that employ HAs or MAs
: "KUALA LUMPUR Sept 25 - The Health Ministry and the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) should act against 24-hour clinics that employ hospital assistants (HAs) or medical assistants (MAs) during the 'graveyard shift'.
The Federation of Malaysian Consumers Associations (Fomca) President, Datuk Hamdan Adnan, said Fomca had received numerous complaints from consumers that some 24-hour clinics were employing HAs or MAs instead of certified doctors for the late night shifts and this was a cause for concern.
'People go around looking for these 24-hour clinics in cases of emergency in the wee hours but when they are treated by a HA or MA they feel cheated.
'They go to these clinics seeking proper medical treatment from doctors but when a HA or MA treats them...who will bear the consequences if something goes wrong in the treatment,' he said Thursday.
He said when a patient or his or her family realised that it was a MA or HA who was at the clinic, it causes more stress and tension to the parties involved.
'Instead of wasting time looking for these 24-hour clinics they could have taken the patient to the nearest general hospital or private medical centre,' he added.
He said the Health Ministry and the MMA should carry out surprise checks on 24-hour clinics to ensure that only certified doctors were employed throughout the day.
'These clinics do not employ fulltime doctors to save costs without taking into account the lives of people. This should stop immediately before anyone dies.
'If a 24-hour clinic is found to have employed HAs or MAs to carry out a doctor's duties then it should be fined and its 24-hour status revoked,' he added. "