Liow had said this reportedly while denying his
ministry had imposed unreasonable requirements on SJAM dialysis centres
under the Private Healthcare Facilities and Services Act 2008.
Last week, Selangor Times reported that some 500
kidney patients, who rely on the non-profit organisation’s 14 dialysis
centres nationwide, would be left in a lurch if SJAM carried out its
threat to surrender the centres back to Putrajaya due to the rules.
Under the new regulations, each centre is required to
have a Person In Charge (PIC) who is a nephrologist, which is a doctor
specialising in the diagnosis and treatment of kidney diseases.
In addition, there must be a visiting nephrologist whose duties include consulting patients once every three months.
“We’ve had no problems in the past as GPs (general
practitioners) could be appointed as person in charge too. But since the
amendment to the Act, every person in charge has to be either a
specialist or a nephrologist,” said SJAM Selangor state commander Datuk
Bernard Yeo to the Selangor Times yesterday.
SJAM currently only has three nephrologists and two GPs to oversee their 14 dialysis centres.
Nephrologists who do not have their own practice are
allowed to be a PIC (person in charge) for three dialysis centres while
those who do can oversee only two.
Yeo explained that under the new rules GP would have
to complete 200 hours of training with a nephrologist, within six
months, to be qualified to become a PIC at a dialysis centre.
“This clause set by the health ministry is ridiculous
as not many doctors have the time to spend 200 hours in training for six
months. They have their own practices and patients to look after too.”
SJAM only managed to get two GPs to undergo the training to become qualified.
Yeo also accused Liow of being confused when he
claimed that his ministry had been asking SJAM to “make up the ratio but
they had not complied”.
“What ratio, he’s confused,” said Yeo.
He pointed out that SJAM has enough visiting nephrologists to cater to those under their care at all their centres.
“According to the health ministry, one nephrologist
can consult up to 500 patients as each consultation is scheduled once
every three months,” he said.
SJAM commander-in-chief Datuk Dr Low Bin Tick also
told the Selangor Times that the new regulations being imposed,
including the 200 hours training for GPs, is ridiculous.
“Doctors have many responsibilities and the health
ministry does not understand the difficulty in persuading nephrologists
and other specialists to join SJAM,” he said.
Dr Low further added that the ministry failed to
consult relevant non-governmental organisations (NGOs) including SJAM
before making amendments to the law. “It’s such a frustrating thing as
the ridiculous requirements and obstacles are discouraging us from
continuing our efforts in providing for the less fortunate,” he said.
St John Ambulance in Malaysia is currently the only
body, among 42 other St John Ambulance organisations around the world,
to have dialysis centres.
Dr Low is currently helping other countries like Papua
New Guinea set up dialysis centres to help the less fortunate community
there.
Selangor Times
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