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KUCHING – The Health Ministry (MoH) has envisioned for Sabah and Sarawak to reach 100% access to safe surgical and anaesthesia care by 2030, said its minister Dr Zaliha Mustafa.
She said among the challenges faced by the ministry to achieve the target are the lack of trained doctors, vast area, land topography and transport network, as well as the scattered population of the Borneo states.
“Now it is about 75% (for Sabah and Sarawak), so we hope in a few years, we can actually expand more and better to reach 100%,” she told a press conference after officiating the 1st Global Surgery Conference Malaysia: The New Dawn here, today.
Earlier in her speech, Dr Zaliha said the initiative would be realised with the MoH’s plan of continuous regular training of medical officers and placement of more surgical and anaesthesia specialists in identified hospitals in both states.
She said according to a recent study published in the ANZ Journal of Surgery, 94% of the Malaysian population have access to the Bellwether procedures such as laparotomy, Caesarean section and treatment of open fractures within two hours.
The conference, which began today and will continue until March 21, aims to expand the global surgery initiative and create understanding among all stakeholders while serving as a platform for knowledge-sharing to realise the initiative in Malaysia.
Meanwhile, Dr Zaliha said the MoH’s aim of producing over 20,000 specialists by 2030 would also benefit Sarawak, which was recently reported to be in dire need of more plastic surgeons due to the rising number of burn patients.
“This has to be done through training, get more people to have interest in becoming specialists, and of course, we hope by then we will have enough specialists to serve the MoH in all disciplines, not just for burn,” she said.
Commenting on the air ambulance initiative using the Malaysian Fire and Rescue Department helicopters proposed by the Local Government Development Ministry (KPKT), Dr Zaliha said the method is quite similar to the Flying Doctor service in Sarawak.
However, she said the air ambulance service would focus on mobilising patients from remote areas or efforts to rescue victims of road accidents on highways.
“I support this initiative by KPKT, and the MOH is still discussing how to collaborate between the two ministries,” she said.
Recently, Local Government Development Minister Nga Kor Ming said that if the initiative could be realised by year-end, it would save the government at least RM15 million annually. – Bernama, March 19, 2023