A New DG, A New Era for Medical Personnel

 

Allow me to first congratulate Datuk Dr Muhammad Radzi Abu Hassan for his appointment as the new Health Director-General of Health (DG).

Based on feedback I received from the ground, who used to criticise the former DG, Dr Radzi appears to be getting a better rating.

He is a “kind and low profile person,” says one. “He is a team player,” says another. A number of others from the medical fraternity have also given some positive feedback which I cannot quote here.

Like the American Indian chief who puts his ear to the ground, allow me to give him the heads-up so that he can become a good director-general well-respected by people within your fraternity.

Firstly, and I think most people would give me the thumbs-up, is a golden rule: In the event that the country has to face another pandemic, delegate the job of releasing the daily statistics to the public relations officer instead of stealing the limelight yourself.

Secondly, the DG’s job is to boost the morale of medical staff who are working around the clock to fight the virus. During the pandemic, many of them were exhausted, and some were even at the verge of giving up.

Thirdly, although he may not like the limelight, when he is actively on the ground, he should use the media (and even social media) to communicate with everyone within the fraternity that their leader cares about. We do not need the likes of a former minister who went on a bicycle ride around the park just for the limelight.

The media can play a very important role. Even though a doctor or nurse may be fighting the battle alone somewhere in Perlis, when he sees that their DG is on the ground, his morale will be boosted.

Fourthly, go down to the ground more often to observe how the so-called “autonomy” has turned the hospitals into chaotic wet markets. From my experience, although Selayang Hospital’s registration is streamlined, the waiting lounge to see the doctors is often overpacked as no one followed the schedule.

Every other person’s appointment was at 8am. This is the reason why at certain hours you cannot find even a carpark, but by about 11am, it is easier to find empty car parks. I hope the situation has eased after the new minister took over.

But, recently I brought my daughter to a public hospital in Kuala Lumpur. It was supposed to be the emergency centre, but just to register her, we had to walk in circles. The streamlining of registration processes cannot be left to the junior staff. Hospital directors have to be directly keeping an eye on what is happening on the ground and intervene, if necessary, to improve the flow.

Fifthly, stop the bullying immediately. The new DG should allow whistleblowers to send emails anonymously to an email account to allow a team of investigators to immediately get to the root of the problem. Stop the culture of witch hunting. Be kind to the medical front liners because they are the ones treating us.

Sixthly, if need be, the DG has to be very firm with the Little Napoleons within the ministry. All these years, I have heard that the culture within the ministry is toxic and there is no leader daring enough to rock the boat.

Dr Radzi should not be afraid that these medical staff will gang up against him. With the support from the new minister, and the majority of us, who are either in the medical fraternity or otherwise, we shall prevail against these bitter, rotten apples.

Finally, I would appreciate if you could make a visit to the Health Clinic in Taman Ehsan, Selangor where I discovered the stairs were built over 10 years ago, which failed to comply with the specifications stated in the Selangor Uniform Building Bylaws 1984 (UBBL’84).

Looking dangerous

         The tread width of each step is only 9 inches, but the building was approved and handed over to the Ministry of Health despite failing to comply with the UBBL specification (tread width has to be a minimum of 10 inches).

The stairs are a workplace hazard to both medical personnel and patients, especially senior citizens and pregnant women. I dread to think what would happen if there was a fire in the building.

         Based on my own research, the Ministry of Health does not have to demolish the three stairs, but just do some refurbishment to extend the tread width in order to comply with the National UBBL’84 By-law 106 (Dimensions of staircases) which clear spells out a wider tread width now be not less than 11 inches based on some on some anthropometric studies undertaken by architects.

(Check out this video https://youtu.be/QHxfR7bMp3E)

“In any staircase, the rise of any staircase shall be not more than 180 millimetres and the tread shall be not less than 275 millimetres (11 inches) and the dimensions of the rise and the tread of the staircase so chosen shall be uniform and consistent throughout.”

Meanwhile, the Selangor State Government has to revise its own uniform building bylaw 106. 

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