Rural postings good for new doctors

Star: State health directors should send new medical officers to rural health clinics because the experience there could make them better doctors.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said posting such medical officers to rural areas was a policy, but not all state health directors had implemented it.
Only the Perak Health Department required new doctors to serve one year at health clinics as part of the three-year compulsory service programme, he said.
He said rural postings made better doctors of the interns, as they would be treating patients with diseases and ailments found only in such areas.
“Patients with diseases like malaria cannot be found in general or district hospitals anymore. It can be seen only in rural areas.
“Doctors must have a good sampling of postings before they talk about specialisation in Malaysia,” Dr Chua said yesterday after visiting the Langkap health clinic, about 30km from here.
He added that since state directors had been given the power to post medical officers to various areas, they should make an effort to do so.
Extolling the other benefits of serving in rural areas, he said doctors there had a lighter workload than those serving in big hospitals.
They were also entitled to mileage claims of 60 sen per km as well as on-call allowance, Dr Chua said.