Shorter wait for treatment

Star: KAJANG: The wait to seek treatment at government specialist clinics will be shortened.
Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai said yesterday that patients currently waited an average of 90 minutes before being attended to by specialists.
“I have already set a target waiting time for general outpatient treatment. Now, we will study what should be the ideal time for specialist treatment,” he said after a working visit to the Kajang Hospital.
Liow said the targeted waiting time for specialist treatment would not be 30 minutes that he set for outpatient treatment.
“One must understand a specialist takes more time to examine patients,” he said.
He also advised patients to come to the hospital or clinic according to their appointment time, and not earlier.
“Some have an appointment at 10am, but they start waiting at 8am. And then they complain that they have waited for two hours to get a number.
“We give the appointments en bloc. There will be one batch at 8am, another at 9am and one at 10am. So, come according to your appointment,” he said.
Liow also called for the board of visitors of hospitals to meet more often.
“They should meet monthly, as board members can get the community to help with activities such as fund-raising and gotong-royong.
“At some hospitals, the board only meets once in three months,” he said.