2,000 doctors register their clinics

NST: KUALA LUMPUR: The contentious Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act seemed to have finally gained acceptance.
As of yesterday, 2,000 members of the Malaysian Medical Association have registered their clinics with the Health Ministry as required under the law.
Chairman of the MMA’s private practitioners section, Datuk Dr N.K. S. Tharmaseelan, attributed this positive development to the ministry’s decision to set aside some "minor irritants" which had been bothering the doctors.

Among them are:
• doctors must have two referees to register;
• clinics be equipped with public telephones;
• there should be a detailed plan of a clinic’s layout; and,
• clinics need to be equipped with emergency equipment which are deemed not necessary in the administration of basic first aid.

It was only a few weeks ago that doctors were up in arms over some of the provisions in the Act, especially over the stringent requirements for registration. However, the matter was resolved following a meeting with Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek on Aug 24.
Other changes agreed at the meeting include requiring the Director-General of Health to give reasons for refusing to issue a licence or register any private hospital or clinic.
Clinics also need not have power generators except for those which perform major surgeries.
Dr Tharmaseelan urged doctors to register before the Nov 30 deadline.
"Now that the ministry has simplified the requirements, we are helping our members to register by Oct 30," he said at a Press conference at the MMA headquarters yesterday.
The aim of the Act is to increase the scope of control and coverage of private facilities and services, maintain integrity and enhance the professionalism of healthcare professionals.
Doctors have to register their clinics or face a fine of up to RM300,000.
Dr Tharmaseelan said he expected 90 per cent of MMA’s members to register their clinics by the end of this month.
"I don’t think there is a concerted effort by doctors to intentionally delay registering," he said when asked whether doctors would register on time.
The registration fee is RM1,500.
Dr Tharmaseelan said the registration would remove bogus doctors and bad hats who tarnished the profession. "We are not running away from our own responsibilities... (The Act) ensures the doctors’ safety, patients’ safety and the profession’s safety," he said.
There are about 8,000 private medical practitioners in the country.