Materia Medica Malaysiana

Arrogant medical staff top complaints against ministry

KUALA LUMPUR: Arrogant and unfriendly medical staff and nurses are the main complaints against the Health Ministry.

Health Ministry secretary-general Datuk Ismail Adam said that according to the Public Complaints Bureau Annual Report 2003, the ministry had received 135 complaints sent via letters and telephone, the fifth highest among all ministries.

“Some of the complaints involved the ineffectiveness and arrogance of certain medical staff and nurses, harsh treatment and the unfriendly attitude towards patients, long waiting time and delay in arrival of doctors who are “on-call” in rural clinics,” he added.

He was speaking to reporters after officially launching the ministry’s Quality Day at the Public Health Department yesterday on behalf of Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek.

Ismail, who presented 26 awards and certificates to public clinics and hospitals nationwide in conjunction with the event, said the ranking was unsatisfactory and that the ministry would continuously upgrade communication skills among its healthcare staff to serve patients better.

“We need to treat our patients better to make them feel comfortable. Patients who come in for treatment need to be treated well so they will feel more at ease,” he added.

Ismail said the ministry conducted training programmes and meetings on a weekly and monthly basis to constantly remind their staff on the importance of good communication.

“We also place importance on certification and accreditation, which means that our hospitals and clinics must be well-managed with proper procedures in place,” he said.

However, Ismail said, patients must understand that the government’s facilities might not be able to meet their needs at times.

“We treat all patients, foreigners and locals and our facilities are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Sometimes, demand exceeds our capabilities,” he added.