MPs rap rude young docs

Sun2Surf: KUALA LUMPUR: The arrogant attitude of some government officers when dealing with their customers was the focus of debate in the Dewan Rakyat by several MPs today (April 17, 2006).
Most of their criticisms were directed at young doctors in the Health Ministry serving in rural areas, whom they said were not sensitive to patient-care.
At the height of the debate, Datuk Abdul Ghapur Salleh (BN-Kalabakan) said: "Many matters had been raised about the shortcomings of the Health Ministry. The Minister must take responsibility. One day we might move a motion for his salary to be cut, even if it is only by RM10."
Ghapur when debating the Ninth Malaysia Plan (9MP) said: "There was an incident in which a young doctor did not attend to a patient first but was busy on the handphone's short messaging service (SMS)."
Recalling another experience he had with a doctor in a government hospital, Abdul Ghapur said he had once been chased away from the treatment room when he brought a road accident victim.He said while driving to the hospital, he had telephoned the hospital authorities and asked for a doctor to be on stand-by.
"However, when I got there, I myself had to carry the patient into the treatment room and place him on a bed and there was no doctor waiting.
"What made matters even worse was that when the doctor finally came in, he immediatley started shouting and ordered everyone present to get out without even asking who had brought the patient in," he said.
The attitude of doctors who put personal interests over service also got the attention of Datuk Raja Ahmad Zainuddin Raja Omar (BN-Larut) whosuggested that all young doctors be given courses before being posted to rural areas.
Datuk Badruddin Amiruldin (BN-Jerai) also related a bitter experience he had when dealing with a high ranking government officer in Sungai Petani, Kedah, with the officer even mouthing,"Datuk, don't try to intimidate me."
Badruddin said at the time he was trying to get help for two women who had been retrenched without being given any compensation.
"I made countless calls to his office but he was always not in and only finally got to talk to him on his handphone. The officer told me he was busy and asked me to call him the next day. When I told him the case of the two women had dragged on for sometime, he had the gall to say "Datuk, can't you understand I am busy."