PETALING JAYA: Do away with red tape. That’s the advice from Thomson Hospital medical director Datuk Dr Mohd Hamzah Kamarulzaman (pix) to make it easier for private doctors to help out at public hospitals.
He said the Credentials and Privileges Committee that represents public health institutions could process each application for quick approval.
Currently, it takes up to a month to process a private doctor’s application to offer his services to public hospitals on a part-time or freelance basis.
Worse, some doctors in government hospitals are even resistant to accepting private doctors in their departments.
“There are many private practitioners who wish to serve in public hospitals. However, (paving the way for them) is a challenge,” he said yesterday.
Hamzah was responding to a front page report in Tuesday’s issue of theSun quoting Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye as saying that private doctors could step up and help public hospitals meet the high demand for medical services.
Lee said there was a severe shortage of specialists in several disciplines at public hospitals.
Hamzah, who is a consultant cardiovascular and thoracic surgeon, said government hospitals could identify the areas that require urgent attention and inform the Malaysian Medical Association or the Association of Private Hospitals in Malaysia.
“For instance, they can tell us if they need teaching doctors or medical students.”
He added the issue of private doctors serving at public hospitals is not new. “I still serve at Serdang Hospital twice a week.”
Hamzah said when he applied to offer his services at Serdang Hospital, it took the hospital a month to give its approval even though he already had a good relationship with the department he planned to work for.
“If I had gone to another hospital, it might have taken even longer for it to process my documentation.”
He said he chose Serdang Hospital because he had served there previously.
