Materia Medica Malaysiana

Board cannot query medical methods

KUANTAN: Members of the Tengku Ampuan Afzan Hospital (HTAA) board of visitors were reminded that they could not question medical procedures carried out at the hospital.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said it had never been the Government's intention for the board to do so.
Replying to a board member during a dialogue with HTAA staff here on Tuesday, he said that if board members were allowed to question the medical procedures, it would put to question the professionalism of the medical officers.
However, the board could question the medical officers if a patient had to wait hours before being treated, he added.
“The board is the link between the hospital and the private sector,” he said.
Dr Chua also said that doctors should not be choosy.
“I do not agree when you say that the pasture is always greener on the other side, but I do agree that there is a disparity in the salary of a doctor in a private hospital and one who works in a public hospital,” he said.