Materia Medica Malaysiana

Reduce long waiting hours at hospitals
Tardy doctors and delays in opening registration counters are two reasons for long waits at hospitals.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said today that patients who turned up late for appointments or on the wrong dates also contributed to the problem.
This was compounded by the unsystematic filing of patients' medical records and delays in preparing laboratory test results.
"These are among the reasons why hospitals, particularly those in major towns, are unable to achieve the hospital's client charter of 90 minutes' waiting time." Registration counters in the morning should open half-an-hour before the doctors start treating patients, he added.
He was speaking after the launch of a new wing at the Kangar Hospital by the Yang di-Pertuan Agong, Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Tuanku Syed Putra Jamalullail.
The King named the hospital "Hospital Tuanku Fauziah", after the Raja Permaisuri Agong, Tuanku Fauziah Tengku Abdul Rashid.
Also present were the Regent of Perlis, Tuanku Syed Faizuddin Putra, the Raja Puan Muda Perlis, Tuanku Lailatul Shahreen Akashah, and the Menteri Besar, Datuk Seri Shahidan Kassim.
The RM54 million new wing comprises a six-storey ward and a three-storey diagnostic and treatment block.
To reduce long waiting hours at hospitals, Dr Chua said a new format would be introduced to separate patients with chronic and non-chronic illnesses.
"This is especially for patients suffering from diabetes and hypertension. We will be empowering specially trained nurses to treat these patients. Reports have shown that nurses provide better care to patients than outpatient doctors." Earlier, the King urged the hospital staff to continue to "go out of your way to provide good treatment".