Congrats Dr. Manalan – the new MMA president

Read more at the Star article, Moving Forward. He says:

“I am very appreciative of the many wide-ranging plans by the Health Ministry (MOH) to reform and transform the healthcare system in our country. However, I am very concerned at the way many policies are made and implemented.
“As the biggest non-governmental organisation representing doctors in the government and private sectors, I feel that the MMA can contribute so much more input to the MOH, and that this is a crucial factor that should not be overlooked,” Dr Manalan opines.
At the moment, most of the policies handed down are made chiefly by administrators, with little consultation from the actual doctors, who are also one of the stakeholders of the national healthcare system.
“I believe that the MMA, and indirectly, the doctors we represent, should play a larger role in the decision-making process on medical aspects right from the start,” he says.

We certainly hope so.