Tan Sri Mohd Ismail Merican's letter," Urban poor need shot in the arm." which is self explanatory, couldn't come at a better time than the start of the New Year.
However I feel that the Ministry of Health could have given a better and positive explanations on the concept of the 1 Malaysia clinics earlier, before the others out of sheer ignorance gave negative feedback on the role of the 1 Malaysia clinics, thus confusing the Rakyat.
I agree that rural Malaysians receives better health care than their poorer urban counterpart. Many developing countries rural areas are often neglected in as far as rural health care is concerned, but not so in Malaysia.
Since Merdeka more than 52 years ago, the Malaysian Government established more than 3,000 rural health clinics and hundreds of Mobile clinics nationwide and since then they were all manned, by Dressers or Hospital Assistant, now Medical Assistant, staff nurses, trained midwives cum "Jururawat Desa" or rural nurse.
Today every Malaysian,in the rural areas including foreign workers in plantations and estates has access to some primary health care. I think it is only fair now that our caring government wants the urban poor to be treated equally with their counterpart in the rural areas.
Malaysia have won kudos for its rural health care programme from not only underdeveloped third countries, but also from developed countries and the World Health Organization (WHO)
I have no qualms about the establishment of the 1 Malaysia clinics for the urban poor, but I am just curious as to who are the urban poor we are referring to. Is it single mothers with many children, OKUs ,orphans,bedridden invalids, senior citizens without income, beggars, vagabonds, illegal immigrants, and those poor Malaysian migrating from the rural areas to the cities in search of jobs.?
What I am afraid is that these clinics will be filled with foreign beggars, vagabonds, and thousands of illegal immigrants , living in illegal settlements in and around the cities.. Most of them are infected with tuberculosis, malaria,hepatitis, and venereal diseases, and without proper care and enforcement, housing, sanitation, electricity, water, drainage,and roads, these settlements will be the center for the spread of diseases .
This is a cause for concern, and an urgent need to recognize and classify the Malaysian urban poor by issuing them with a special identification card to singled them out from the others.
I strongly feel that instead of spending millions of ringgit to build or rent the 1 Malaysia clinics, and equipping them with staff, medicine, medical equipments, and the monthly payment of staff salaries, rent,and , utility bills , I suggest that the Ministry of Health, sign a (MOU) with chosen under utilized private clinics all over the cities and make use of them as the 1 Malaysia clinics, which are easily accessible to the urban poor. These clinics could be appointed as panels to the government to treat the urban poor.for which the government pays a minimum of RM 25 ringgit per patient.
Another option would be for the government to share the rent of these private clinics and the cost of medicine and provide Medical Assistant, and staff nurse to work in shifts to assist the doctor at the clinics. The urban poor patients will receive free treatment. This would be an advantage to the doctor as his clinic will be taken care of by the Medical Assistant or the Staff Nurse, whenever he is away on leave or sick leave.
It would be better still if the government build more Community Health Centers like the one in Kelana Jaya in urban areas or in the outskirts of the cities, which could be accessible to more people of the lower income groups including the urban poor. or increased the number of fully equipped mobile clinics to serve people living in low cost flats, kampongs and villages around the cities. I think these are cost effective and could save the government millions of ringgit if implemented.
NOR SHAHID MOHD NOR
PETALING JAYA
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