Be courteous to your patients, Liow reminds new nurses

Star: SEREMBAN: Medical assistants and nurses should be more courteous to patients, said Health Minister Datuk Liow Tiong Lai.
“We often hear of complaints from patients on the poor service at hospitals both in rural and urban areas.
“This happens because some of us have a negative attitude, poor communication skills and lack of respect for them ... this is not good,” he said at the convocation of 1,290 nurses, medical assistants and community nurses at the Medical Assistants’ Training College (MATC).
His speech was read by state health, science, technology and innovation committee chairman Datuk Ismail Taib.
Liow said it was pointless if medical assistants and nurses were knowledgeable but lacked the human touch.
“Patients have different needs. This can be complex and sophisticated,” Liow added.
Liow said medical assistants and nurses must strive to improve because they formed the backbone of the medical industry.
“The three-year training for your diploma only gives you basic knowledge in this field. It is my hope that all of you would pursue advanced courses in specific fields,” he said, adding that courses like post-basic forensic medicine and sports medicine had already been made available by the ministry.
He said they should also believe in “lifelong learning” to keep abreast of developments in the medical field.
Of the 1,290 graduates, 718 were from the Port Dickson Community Nurses College, 299 from MATC and 273 from Seremban Nursing College.