The future of Klinik Kesihatan
Dr. Masliha Harun posted in the DG Datuk Noor Hisham’s FB page
Now because of the workload (at ED) they will sent all the non emergency cases to us (urticaria-3yrs,MC seekers,chronic disease-defaulters and etc) during the extended hours up to 11pm everyday and including public holiday or Sunday whole day. Which actually,as stated earlier,we suppose to “utamakan” dengue and fever as our priority cases,but if this going on- (since we can’t never reject patient) so our workload is getting heavier and heavier,is like we see OPD cases for non stop untill 11pm everyday.
Just because of that,our beloved government would like to make a shift system for all the staff. But only one question i would ask??why we need to please them (people who abuse the system rm1) when we make all our staff suffer…
If u agreed to shift system,we can never had extra allowance to claim,we can never get same cuti (weekend) like other people and we can never enjoy our working area and we getting more stress everyday as a doctor.
to which the DG replied
The future of KK will be in the form of shift duty and the working hours will not be more than what is expected from each and everyone. Extended hours was given because each doctors are doing more than the requirement allocated time. First we need to get more doctors and staff to be posted to KK. Once we have enough staff of all categories the extended hours call allowance will be reviewed. Being a doctors we must adopt to on call system and even shift duty so that’s the future and I agree the implementation will be in stages
As a result of the current surge in Dengue, the MOH has admirably responded with more KKs with extended hours from 8am to 11pm
Working in the Kelinik Kesihatan is no longer that 9 to 5 job which was seen easier than the hospitalists going on night call. However with more and more KKs opening up till 11pm it means doctors serving in KK have to work up to 11 pm. It’s the outpatient equivalent of going on night call and it’s tough on the doctor’s personal life.
When you take up medicine, know that it is not an easy job. It was never meant to be a 9 to 5 “regular office hours” type of job for the clinicians. If you want that, then do something else other than clinical medicine.
When there are more and more MOs in service – inevitable given the current glut in junior doctors and only pending the number of posts allocated for MOs if there is enough money to pay for them (the “staffing issue”) – things will change. As the DG alluded to, it will eventually change to a shift system. No more extended hours call allowance but the working hours won’t be so long.
The issue of abuse of the KK extended hours system needs to be addressed by the administrators in MOH. Get tough on MC seekers, and for chronic disease defaulters, they should be given a short follow-up to regular hours clinic times.
Perhaps the KKs should be strict on the number of patients seen per day. The practice of taking all walk-ins no matter what has to stop. If you want to improve the standard of outpatient care, enough time has to be allocated for the consultation. Patients too should follow an appointment system and walk-ins discouraged.