PETALING JAYA: There is a pressing need to ensure that new doctors are able to continue in the government service once they complete the two-year stint as medical officers.
However, the high number of new doctors has made it difficult, if not impossible, for the government health system to retain all of them.
In Malaysia, a new graduate from medical school is required to undergo a two-year housemanship. This is basically an internship during which they are assessed on their medical competency and administrative discipline.
Apart from being proficient in their chosen field, the houseman is also required to respect all requirements expected of any government employee, such as showing up for work or refraining from taking leave excessively.
On completion of the housemanship, they are appointed as medical officers in government hospitals where they will serve for another two years.
This is provided for under the Medical Act 2017, according to Malaysian Medical Association president Dr N. Ganabaskaran.
Beyond that, the future is uncertain for those who are not lucky enough to be retained in government service.
Ganabaskaran told theSun the two-year stint as medical officer is an opportunity for junior doctors to not only build their competency but also acquire adequate experience.
“As the doctor matures in government service, he also builds up his clinical acument and acquires new responsibilities.”
During this period, he said there are multiple levels of supervision to check on patients.
A doctor in private practice is expected to work independently, make all the decisions and bear all the consequences.
“This shows there is a need for confidence and competency that can be garnered not only through continuous education but also through experience,” Ganabaskaran said.
He said the current system ensures that any doctor coming out to private practice has at least four years of practical experience.
This, he said, makes it all the more essential that a junior doctor is able to continue serving the government on completing the two-year stint as medical officer.
“This is the bare minimum that a doctor needs before he embarks on his own practice,” he said.
As such, Ganabaskaran said, the MMA would not support any move to reduce the duration of compulsory service.
Specialisation is an even longer journey. It takes six to eight more years of training and experience before a doctor qualifies as a specialist. Hence it will be even more difficult to reach that goal if a junior doctor is not given the opportunity to continue serving the government after completing his service as medical officer.
Nonetheless, Ganabaskaran noted, conditions are improving. “The healthcare service has been given some priority under a restructuring and reallocation of human resources at the Health Ministry,” he said.
Last year, the Public Services Department agreed to make provisions for 10,000 positions in the ministry, 5,000 of which are for junior doctors.
However, he said, as demand increases, the healthcare service will continue to be stretched and it may reach a breaking point some time in the future.
Read this story on our iPaper: More years sought for medical officers
