The health ministry has sought to allay fears of a shortage of doctors in Hospital Kuala Lumpur (HKL) and Hospital Tunku Azizah (HTA), with the upcoming exit of medical officers in the hospitals.
This follows an internal memo from HKL’s top management on a looming medical officer shortage “crisis” in the hospitals, following the exit of junior doctors from July 18. HTA is HKL’s women’s and children’s facility.
In a statement, the health ministry said the memo issued by HKL’s management was purely for “internal coordination” to ensure the delivery of its health services would continue smoothly, especially at HTA’s emergency department.
According to the ministry, it already planned for new medical officers from other states to be transferred to HKL and HTA on the same date that junior doctors currently attached to the hospitals are transferred out.
It said these transfers were a normal procedure.
“Therefore, there is no such thing as a medical officer shortage crisis in HKL and HTA,” it said.
In the internal memo dated June 30, HKL’s deputy director (medical) Dr Marina Abdullah Sani invited all medical officers to attend a meeting today over the purported shortage of doctors.
She stated that the meeting scheduled to be held in HKL’s main auditorium was to discuss a solution to the shortage. FMT