PETALING JAYA: The well-being of public sector doctors will be a priority for newly-appointed Malaysian Medical Association (MMA) president Dr Azizan Abdul Aziz.
She said public healthcare was unlike other civil service departments as healthcare workers often had to work extra hours, putting patients’ needs first.
“The well-being of doctors, and by extension all healthcare workers in the public healthcare system, should be treated as a priority to ensure the highest quality of care in the country is maintained,” she said in her inaugural speech at the MMA’s annual banquet in Kota Kinabalu on Friday.
She takes over from Dr Muruga Raj Rajathurai, MMA said in a statement yesterday.
Dr Azizan graduated from Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia in 1986 and was the MMA deputy secretary and treasurer from 2013 to 2014 before taking a break from practice to care for her mother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
MMA said the contract doctor issue, overcrowding at healthcare facilities, maldistribution of healthcare workers, shortage of specialists, remuneration and junior doctors’ career pathways were among the public healthcare issues the MMA president would be addressing.
Dr Azizan said she was looking forward to engaging with the Health Ministry to resolve these important issues.
“We hope to get an update from the Health Ministry soon on the implementation of healthcare reforms that are being planned in line with the Health White Paper,” she added.
