Exemption for specialists

Star: PUTRAJAYA: Some specialists will be exempted from offering emergency treatment for fear that they might do more harm than good.
Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the decision by the ministry, which had earlier made it compulsory for all medical doctors, including specialists, to offer treatment during emergencies, was made after listening to complaints and appeals from doctors through the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) and the Federation of Private Medical Practitioners Associations of Malaysia (FPMPAM).
He said the ministry was currently drawing up the list of specialists who would be exempted.
“After a while, without hands-on experience, these specialists would not be able to render emergency service,” he said.
“If not properly trained, you do more harm at times. Doctors must always be responsible and one of the cardinal principles is to not harm patients.”
After discussions between the ministry, FPMPAM and MMA on the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act (1998) and Regulations (2006), Dr Chua said it was no longer compulsory for clinics to have public telephones and generator sets, and to report social or welfare contribution activities.
Submission of certain documents is also no longer compulsory for the registration of clinics, he told reporters after launching FPMPAM’s Clinic Manual and Standard Operating Procedure (CMSOP).
FPMPAM president Dr Steven Chow said the manual would help private clinics streamline their administration and enable them to provide better services to patients while complying with the Act.
On his meeting with milk manufacturers yesterday to expand the code of ethics for the promotion of milk formula for children, Dr Chua said the producers, mainly multinational companies, had agreed in principle to fine-tune some of the “definitions” in the guidelines.
He also warned them that their names would be exposed if they failed to adhere to the guidelines.