MMC: Facilitate not frustrate
PERHAPS it is time for me to bell the cat. For many years now, there have been ramblings of discontentment with this august body that is formed to register medical practitioners and regulate medical practice.
Recently amendments were made to the Medical Act 1971 to make it more effective as a corporate body and be independent of the Ministry of Health. Unfortunately, nothing tangible happened since the amendment.
Delays in issuing Annual Practicing Certificates (APCs), obsolete voting processes for the election of council members, delays in processing applications especially from foreign doctors, delays in arriving at decisions pertaining to discipline and professional misconduct, perceived bias and prejudices from council members, overworked staff with few resources and weak response to queries are some of the issues raised by frustrated registered medical practitioners (RMPs).
This inefficiency can lead to various medico-legal implications, especially to those working in the private sector, with regard to problems in renewing licences and providing services at their clinics or hospitals.
Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) needs to change. The postal voting mechanism needs to be revisited.
At the last elections, many eligible voters (registered MPs with good standing) did not or could not vote. Every election year, some 30,000 ballot papers are sent via Pos Malaysia about six weeks prior to the date of election. Over the years, only 20-30% of the ballot papers were returned. The reasons given were many, ranging from poor postal services to disinterested RMPs.
Perhaps there should be a better way of getting more doctors to vote. We cannot have an election of council members to be decided by only a fraction of RMPs.
In this digital age, online voting could be an option. An Independent Election committee representing the various professional organisations should be set up with proper standard operating procedures to oversee proper and transparent documentation of sending and receiving ballot papers, update last known addresses of practitioners based on current APCs issued, ensure fairness, avoid interference and handling queries promptly. At present, certain members are elected repeatedly.
Council members are either elected or appointed. Elected members get voted in every three years. It is time we limit the tenure of each council member, be they elected or appointed, to two terms (i.e. six years). Presently, we have several members serving MMC since the 1970s.
Discussions at MMC meetings must be open and transparent. Members who have a conflict of interest, such as when accreditation of medical schools is being discussed, should declare and leave the room to allow for a more balanced discussion. Decisions made must be based on performance.
The disciplinary hearings need to be done more proficiently. Time is of the essence. Undue delays could cause hardships to RMPs being investigated.
The secretariat must be manned by permanent staff who have a sense of responsibility. They should be given prior training before performing their onerous functions and be reminded to respond promptly to queries from RMPs.
Right now, about 50-60% are contract officers who are not certain whether they would be retained or otherwise resulting in a rapid turnover of staff and work apathy.
Significant upgrading of hardware and software to make MMC more efficient and vibrant, and updating the website is imperative to ensure a smooth flow of information.
Change is in the air. MMC too must change for the better, in line with the aspirations of the current government. Please facilitate and not frustrate.
Tan Sri Dr Mohd Ismail Merican Past president Malaysian Medical Council