Health D-G missing the point, say docs

Star: KUALA LUMPUR: The Federation of Private Medical Practitioner’s Association of Malaysia is concerned over the comment by Health director-general Tan Sri Dr Ismail Merican that doctors, particularly private practitioners, be blamed for the dengue endemic in Malaysia.
The federation’s medical affairs committee representative Dr Ng Swee Choon said in a statement that it agreed with Dr Ismail that there was no excuse for doctors or hospitals not reporting confirmed cases of dengue.
He said the federation had been advising all private doctors to do so.
“If all private doctors were to send all cases of viral fever to the government hospitals and laboratories, will the system be able to cope?” he asked.
Dr Ng said prevention was the key in controlling dengue fever and what was really needed was a sustained effort to eradicate mosquito-breeding grounds.
“These were within the private properties of big companies which the public had no access to. Complaints to local authorities often fell on deaf ears.
“Unless there was a political will to take enforcement measures on the many big developers and the local authorities, blaming the private doctors was just missing the point.”
Dr Ng said patients should be aware that in the early stages of dengue fever, the signs and symptoms were common to all viral infections.
He said early symptoms like fever, bone aches, joint pains and pain behind the eyes were common in many viral infections. None of the symptoms was special to dengue alone, he said.
“Most dengue fever patients recover with almost no therapy and without the benefit of special blood tests, the diagnosis may never be made. Adequate rest and lots of oral fluid consumption to prevent dehydration is important. Patients are usually asked to see doctors regularly for monitoring and follow-up.
“By the time the full-blown rash of bleeding into the skin comes, it is often serious. We do not think that any reasonable doctor would miss that diagnosis,” he said.