Friday February 17, 2006

VVIPs should help improve hospitals

THE report about very, very important people (VVIPs) abusing their power in hospitals is an eye-opener, “Join the queue, Chua tells VVIPs,” (The Star, Feb 15).

I think this stems from two issues.

Firstly, the attitude of certain people, impatience and a sense of entitlement, and secondly perhaps the areas that are lacking in the healthcare sector.

When VVIPs get impatient waiting for treatment at a government medical centre, they should look around and ask themselves why this is happening.

Sometimes, it may be unavoidable.

But sometimes it reflects the lack of facilities or manpower.

Our VVIPs, having the authority, should be actively making the changes necessary to rectify the problem instead of abusing their power to get special treatment.

It amuses me to see that, often, when the very people who make decisions on how healthcare is managed in Malaysia require medical attention, they get a VIP-class room, go to a private hospital or go overseas.

Perhaps the VVIPs should experience what ordinary patients have to go through so that they may appreciate our system and see what needs to be improved.

Perhaps I am being unrealistic but I yearn to see the day when we have adequate specialists in every major hospital.

It saddens me to see how we spend resources on areas and objects purely meant to show off, while our hospitals are so lacking in specialists, sub-specialists, ventilators, CT scanners and such.

The only way to progress is to identify the problems and make the changes.

DR T.K. KHOO,

Rochester, United States.

News

Friday February 17, 2006

VVIPs should help improve hospitals