Why docs leave

KUALA LUMPUR: Apart from the poor pay and long hours, time spent away from patients is driving doctors to leave government service. Last year, 374 doctors left the government service ­ an average of about one per day, according to statistics from the Malaysian Medical Association (MMA). Many joined the private sector because they wanted better pay and better hours. But some quit because they were frustrated that administrative duties, meetings, examinations and seminars kept them from treating patients. MEETINGS vs PATIENTS MMA deputy secretary Dr Kuljit Singh estimates that at least 20-40% of a government doctor's time is spent in departmental, hospital, state and Ministry of Health meetings as well as attending courses and seminars. "I get taken away from clinical work and have to leave the afternoon clinic with juniors," he told Bernama. If there is a delay in tackling this problem, he predicts, "Government doctors will move to greener pastures where they can get at least four times the salary and see patients from 8am to 5pm". "In the private sector, they have no administrative work or courses and not as many meetings," he said. NO COURSE, NO PROMOTION Some doctors have also complained about the Efficiency Level Assessment under the new remuneration scheme which includes in-house evaluation, courses and examinations. Instead of doctors spending time on courses such as how to apply for leave, he suggests that the human resources department in their organisation could advise them. "If doctors don't take the course, they cannot be promoted," he said, questioning whether the assessment measured their efficiency as doctors.

Consumer groups seek more time to study Bills

Consumer groups seek more time to study Bills by R. Manirajan PETALING JAYA: Consumer associations feel there are too many loopholes and weaknesses in the proposed Water Service Industry Bill and the National Water Services Commission Bill and want these rectified before they are tabled in Parliament next year. They also want the Energy, Water and Communications Ministry and its minister, Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik, to extend the consultation period on the Bills, which aim to overhaul water supply and services, so that all interested parties can scrutinise the proposals and give feedback. Lim held a two-hour closeddoor consultation and briefing for about 20 consumer associations yesterday. ERA Consumer Association president N. Marimuthu said: "The minister agreed in principle to extend the Nov 24 deadline by another four months and present the Bills for first reading in Parliament in March instead of the end of this month." He said the associations want more time to refer to similar legislations in other countries. Marimuthu said the associations also asked the ministry to pay for five consultations and to post all responses on its website. Coalition Against Privati sation of Water coordinator Charles Santiago said its members want the ministry-appointed consultant, KPMG, to post its report on findings on the Bills on the ministry website. "KPMG officials who were present objected, but the minister said he will try to declassify the report before putting it on the website as it's under the Official Secrets Act," he told theSun. Santiago described as improper a provision which stipulates that water supply and sewerage services will be disconnected after 14 days in cases of non-payment. "Water is a basic necessity, especially for the poor. It is not like Coke or Pepsi. This provision can't be made into a law and, by right, should be a regulation." Asked about his impression of the Bills, Santiago said they will not solve all the water problems. He said the National Water Services Commission Bill will result in massive bureaucracy. "Having the Bills alone is not enough ... there are other things such as protecting our rivers and educating the people on water usage that need to be looked into," he said. "There is also the need to reform certain things in the public sector ... as there is too much political interference in certain states where water is concerned and we need to separate this."

Standard rates not fair, says Koh

Standard rates not fair, says Koh by Opalyn Mok PENANG: It will not be fair to consumers in Penang if water tariffs were standardised throughout the country as the state would have to increase its rates, Chief Minister Tan Sri Dr Koh Tsu Koon said yesterday. "I do not agree that water rates for all the states be standardised because in Penang, the rates are lower than those in the other states," he said. Koh was commenting on a statement by Energ y, Water and Communications Minister Datuk Seri Dr Lim Keng Yaik on Monday that all the states will charge the same rates for water under a plan to correct imbalances in the water services industry. Currently, the rates in Penang are 31 sen for the first 1,000 litres for domestic users, and 94 sen for the first 1,000 litres for industrial users. The rates in the other states are between 50 sen and 90 sen for domestic users, and between RM1.15 and RM3 for industrial users. Koh said that standardising the rates would have a big impact on Penang. "I do not believe that we need to increase the water rates to such an extent as the rates must reflect the cost structure of water supply in each state," he said. Koh, who is also the chairman of PBA Holdings Bhd, said the water tariffs must be fixed in tandem with cost structures and management efficiency of water supply in every state. "This does not mean we are denying the fact that the cost of supplying water has been increasing and will continue to rise," he said. He said the state government, however, supports the proposal of the Water Services Industry Bill and National Water Services Commission Bill to be tabled in the Dewan Rakyat. Koh was speaking at a press conference after officiating at the 2005 Young Enter prise Prog ramme Achievers' Showcase at Universiti Sains Malaysia. On the teaching of Mathematics and Science in English in primary schools, he said there is a need to continue to study the effects of the implementation of the programme during the past three years. "I will take into consideration the views and feedback from all parties when looking into ways to improve or improvise the programme," he said.

Stocking up on Tamiflu

Stocking up on Tamiflu by Giam Say Khoon and Regina William PUTRAJAYA: The Health Ministry has ordered RM4 million worth of the anti-viral drug Tamiflu, enough to treat 60,000 patients, in case there is an outbreak of the deadly H5N1 bird flu. Its Disease Control Department director Dr Ramlee Rahmat said that more orders would be placed whenever allocations are approved. Health Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek had recently announced that the government would be stockpiling the drug up to a level which would enable the treatment of at least 10% of the population. Ramlee said yesterday that medical staff and other health workers would be given priority in treatment "because they have a higher chance of contracting the disease". He said it would take some time for the drug, manufactured by Swiss phar maceutical company Roche, to be delivered due to high demand. In the latest case, a Vietnamese man has died of bird flu as health experts meet in Geneva to map out a strategy to prevent a global pandemic. In Vietnam, 42 people have died from H5N1. The latest case is a 35-year-old man who died late last month after eating a chicken with his family (Report in Page 10). There is no vaccine now to protect humans against the virus which is presently known to be transmitted from birds to humans. "However, there is global fear that the virus may mutate, enabling it to be transmitted from human to human," Ramlee told a media briefing. He said the ministry is well prepared to face a possible outbreak of the H5N1 virus with standby isolation wards, active case detection teams, clinics and protective equipment like masks and gloves. "We displayed our readiness in Kelantan when there was an outbreak of the flu last year," he added. Poultry farms being monitored as precaution Asked if the mysterious death of 100 pigeons in Bidor, Perak, last Saturday was caused by bird flu, he said the veterinary department had confirmed the birds tested negative for the H5N1 virus. As for the incident in Taman Mutiara, Sungai Petani, last Thursday, when more than 10 pigeons dropped dead, Kedah veterinary services department director Dr Quaza Nizamuddin Hassan Nizam said no other cases of pigeon deaths were reported. He, however, said the more than 200 poultry farms in the state are being monitored as a precaution. "We are not sure how many pigeons actually died because we have only one carcass and the rest were disposed. The pigeons in the vicinity and in neighbouring areas look healthy," said Quaza in a telephone interview. Penang veterinary services department director Dr Mohd Zairi Serlan said the 357 chicken farms, 50 duck farms and seven other avian farms in the state are being monitored although there has been no reports of unsual bird deaths. The director of the Veterinary Research Institute in Ipoh, Dr Sharifah Syed Hassan, said it received faecal swabs from the dead birds' droppings yesterday afternoon. Test results are expected today. Meanwhile, Tourism Minister Datuk Dr Leo Michael Toyad said Malaysia is well-prepared to prevent the spread of avian flu. He said his ministry is working closely with all tourism players and would issue health advisories, like in the recent dengue outbreak. Instead of experiencing a drop in tourist arrivals, Malaysia is seeing double-digit percentage increases from the long-haul markets, Toyad said.