KUCHING: The State government should look into offering scholarships to current Medical Officers (MO) in the State to pursue government- recognised external post-graduate courses so as to address the lack of medical specialists in the state, said Dr. Kevin Yii, special assistant to MP Bandar Kuching Chong Chieng Jen. Dr. Yii said the State government’s recent efforts to sponsor at least 200 Sarawakians over the next five years to pursue medical studies in Unimas should be commended. However, it still does not address the current need and shortage of specialists, he said.
“Cur rent l y the pre s s – ing need for doctors is not new as there is currently a glut of medical graduates all around the country. Many have to wait six months to a year for Housemanship as there are only about 5,000 slots a year.
“What is seriously lacking is the number of specialists in the different fields. Deputy Minister of Health Datuk Seri Dr Hilmi Yahaya in his recent visit to the State also highlighted the lack of specialist doctors, including the lack of Family Medicine specialists in the rural areas.
“ This suggestion wi l l instead specifically target eligible and competent Medical Officers (MO) and offer them opportunities to further their studies and training to be specialists not just in local universities, but also government recognised external papers that will also qualify them to be specialists,” he added.
Yii pointed out that the spaces in local universities for post-graduate studies are limited, thus limiting the opportunities for other competent medical doctors to further their education.
Offering scholarships to take external papers including MRCP for Internal Medicine, MRCOG for Obstetrics and Gynaecology, FRCR for Radiotherapy and Oncology , MRCPCH for Paediatrics among others may help address the pressing need for specialists in the State on top of those graduating from the local universities.
The cost of these external papers may range from RM20,000 to RM50,000 or more, depending on the papers and the attempts made to pass them.
“The government could set conditions to the scholarship, like the number of attempts to pass an exam each applicant may have, as well as the number of years they are bonded to the State. “In that way, we not only give greater incentives for the doctors to stay and serve in our State, but also promote and encourage others to come here and fill the gap for specialists in the State.
“The increase of specialists will also result in better training in the hospitals for Houseman (HO), and allow more and more hospitals to be upgraded to teaching hospitals, thus directly addressing the problem of lack of training spaces and long wait for newly graduated doctors. “Many hospitals may have the infrastructure, but not the required specialists and doctors in it.
“Thus, I urge the State government to make the pioneering move and seriously consider the proposal to give scholarships to eligible and competent Medical Officers to address the specific specialist needs in the State. “This will not only address the need for more doctors in the state, but also directly helps improve the quality of healthcare for the benefit of the people,” he added.
