Kuala lumpur: The Ministry of Health (MOH) has begun placing medical specialists, including emergency medicine and internal medicine experts, in rural hospitals to ensure that specialist services are not solely concentrated in major hospitals. Health Minister Datuk Seri Dr Dzulkefly Ahmad said the move aims to provide more comprehensive and accessible healthcare to all segments of society, including those in rural areas.

According to BERNAMA News Agency, Dr Dzulkefly highlighted that there are not many referral hospitals in the country. To address this issue, the ministry has started assigning specialists to key district hospitals that do not have full-time specialists. Furthermore, the ministry plans to introduce minor surgical procedures at health clinics as part of ongoing healthcare reforms. This statement was made during the oral question and answer session in the Dewan Rakyat.

Dr Dzulkefly was responding to a supplementary question from Ahmad Tarmizi Sulaiman (PN-Sik), who inquired about the government's plans to place additional full-time medical specialists in rural areas. In response, Dr Dzulkefly emphasized the importance of ensuring that specialist services are available to all, regardless of location.

In a separate issue, Dr Dzulkefly mentioned that the MOH conducts regular assessments of the operational needs and responsibilities of on-call medical staff. This is to ensure that the number of on-call personnel is adequate, balancing the welfare of healthcare workers. The number of medical officers on call is determined based on service needs, workload, and the complexity of cases at healthcare facilities. This response was given to a question from Fong Kui Lun (PH-Bukit Bintang) regarding the sufficiency of the current number of on-call doctors.