We cannot cut number of doctors and medics, says Hilmi

IPOH: The Health Ministry cannot reduce the number of doctors and paramedics at government hospitals at will, as it needs to provide the best medical services it can to the people.

Deputy Minister Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya said both posts were very much needed, more so due to the increasing number of patients seeking treatment at government hospitals.

“If we reduce the number of doctors and paramedics, our services will crumble.

“In fact, Budget 2017 announced an increase of RM2bil in an allocation for the health sector,” he said after officiating at the Health Ministry’s Training Institute’s convocation ceremony here yesterday.

Dr Hilmi was commenting on a statement by the Penang state government’s think tank, Penang Institute, which urged the Government to downsize the public service sector to reduce the budget deficit.

He said the proposal was illogical and would only make the public sector unproductive and weak.

In another development, Dr Hilmi said the public should not misunderstand the term “full paying patient (FPP)”.

He said FPP did not mean privatisation of healthcare services at government hospitals, but was instead an option for patients who could afford to pay for their treatment.

“If they require surgery, it can be done by the (government hospital) doctor after office hours,” he said.

This, he added, did not affect the existing services as the public could still get free medical treatment by paying the RM1 registration fee and pay a minimum of RM30 for ward admission. — Bernama