Francis Ngu
11th August 2010, 11:57 PM
10th August, 2010
Dr. Francis H.H. Ngu, Kuching.
Health Services and Welfare Bureau,
Parti Keadilan Rakyat in Sarawak
Since 2006, Parti KeAdilan Rakyat has highlighted health care deficiencies in Sarawak from time to time, including primary care at out-patient clinics.
That the degree of congestion at some clinics has reached such intolerable levels requires this brief statement.
It has been pointed out to us by users of polyclinics more than once that the congestion is reaching desparate proportions in certain polyclinics. There is the hardship of patients facing long waiting times, congested car parking, and some difficulty in getting a queuing number when there is a communicable disease outbreak, like the H1N1.
However, the harshest reality faced by both the public and medical staff is the situation in the doctor’s consultation rooms.
The Ministry of Health, the Malaysian Medical Council, medical and nursing professionals are surely agreed with us in a cardinal principle: the importance of patient privacy and medical confidentiality in modern day health care.
Yet because of under-provision from neglect of public health infrastructure in recent times following the privatization policy, patient privacy and confidentiality has been so severely compromised at crowded polyclinics.
At Polyclinic Mosque Road, up to 12 or more persons are crowded into consultation rooms, at Polyclinic Tanah Puteh, Pending, 4 persons in a room, and at Merbau Polyclinic in Miri, up to 8 persons in a room. There are a couple of other polyclinics in Sibu and elsewhere which we have not assessed.
Under such conditions, there is not only the physical stress to medical staff and patients, but patient privacy and medical confidentiality too are sacrificed. Medical history taking often requires doctors and nurses asking sensitive personal questions, and a proper physical examination may require patients to expose parts of their body.
It is clear that under such lack of privacy, the medical staff is often constrained from proper history taking and physical examination as indicated. The standard of care is compromised by physical constraints to patient privacy, leading to the possible jeopardy of both patients and medical staff.
In the event of a communicable disease outbreak, of the like of the H1N1, an overly congested polyclinic itself has the potential of posing a health hazard to the public.
We urge the authorities to urgently consider reviewing primary care infrastructure at all major centres of population concentration and growth. A further media release will outline the specific proposals we have to put to the government of the day.
“Health Care for All by the Year 2000”, WHO.
RAKYAT DI-UTAMAKAN ! (?)
Dr. Francis H.H. Ngu, Kuching.
Health Services and Welfare Bureau,
Parti Keadilan Rakyat in Sarawak
Since 2006, Parti KeAdilan Rakyat has highlighted health care deficiencies in Sarawak from time to time, including primary care at out-patient clinics.
That the degree of congestion at some clinics has reached such intolerable levels requires this brief statement.
It has been pointed out to us by users of polyclinics more than once that the congestion is reaching desparate proportions in certain polyclinics. There is the hardship of patients facing long waiting times, congested car parking, and some difficulty in getting a queuing number when there is a communicable disease outbreak, like the H1N1.
However, the harshest reality faced by both the public and medical staff is the situation in the doctor’s consultation rooms.
The Ministry of Health, the Malaysian Medical Council, medical and nursing professionals are surely agreed with us in a cardinal principle: the importance of patient privacy and medical confidentiality in modern day health care.
Yet because of under-provision from neglect of public health infrastructure in recent times following the privatization policy, patient privacy and confidentiality has been so severely compromised at crowded polyclinics.
At Polyclinic Mosque Road, up to 12 or more persons are crowded into consultation rooms, at Polyclinic Tanah Puteh, Pending, 4 persons in a room, and at Merbau Polyclinic in Miri, up to 8 persons in a room. There are a couple of other polyclinics in Sibu and elsewhere which we have not assessed.
Under such conditions, there is not only the physical stress to medical staff and patients, but patient privacy and medical confidentiality too are sacrificed. Medical history taking often requires doctors and nurses asking sensitive personal questions, and a proper physical examination may require patients to expose parts of their body.
It is clear that under such lack of privacy, the medical staff is often constrained from proper history taking and physical examination as indicated. The standard of care is compromised by physical constraints to patient privacy, leading to the possible jeopardy of both patients and medical staff.
In the event of a communicable disease outbreak, of the like of the H1N1, an overly congested polyclinic itself has the potential of posing a health hazard to the public.
We urge the authorities to urgently consider reviewing primary care infrastructure at all major centres of population concentration and growth. A further media release will outline the specific proposals we have to put to the government of the day.
“Health Care for All by the Year 2000”, WHO.
RAKYAT DI-UTAMAKAN ! (?)