Calls to limit delivery to women docs rejected

PETALING JAYA: The Health Ministry has stressed that it will not make it compulsory for only women doctors to deliver babies in public hospitals, in light of calls for such a policy.
Its director-general Datuk Noor Hisham Abdullah, in a Facebook posting today, said any doctors, regardless of their gender, should be put on duty, especially in cases of emergency.
He said the ministry would consider the requests of female patients wanting to be treated only by doctors of the same gender, if there are qualified female doctors with the expertise during the time of request.
“The same consideration will also be given to male patients who favour a male doctor.
“But this is not a compulsory policy, and requires discretion as well as being subjected to the situation at hand, what more if there is a medical emergency.
“Hence, any available doctor (be it male or female) should provide the immediate, necessary treatment, especially if it involves someone’s life,” he added.
Deputy Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya had, on Tuesday, said the only reason that the government has not mandated that only women doctors can deliver babies at public hospitals was because of the lack of women doctors in the obstetrics and gynaecology field.
"The government does have ample women doctors but not many women doctors are interested in this field. We have to wait for more doctors that are trained in this field,” he said.