"I believe in a country where hard work and merit, not privilege or background, determines success."
Tony Blair 2005

Thursday, April 22, 2004

trusting the devil

In the Star today,

Media free to help patients

BY FOONG PEK YEE
KUALA LUMPUR: The media will soon be allowed to publicise appeals by needy patients and collect funds for them without having to obtain prior approval from the Health Ministry.

Minister Datuk Dr Chua Soi Lek said the move to give the media a free hand to undertake this social responsibility would help reduce red tape and ease the anxiety of patients and their families.

The move would also help ensure patients receive prompt treatment, he said.


Wrong move Datuk Dr Chua! Are you really getting the best advice? You are putting your trust in organizations that love to sensationalise issues. Dr Chua should take heed from Najib's lament that the press has blown the National Service issues out of proportion!

This will definitely set a bad precedent and gives the green light for the public to bring their issues immediately to the press. This should not be encouraged. Instead proper channels should be made available for such greviances to be addressed in a suitable and fair manner. Taking issues directly to the press may distort and smear the image of the Ministry of Health(MOH) disproportionately. It is like digging their own graves! Looks like the election of Datuk Dr Chua has thrown the MOH from the frying pan into the fire!

The media is also allowed to control the funds collected and it is the media that decides which patient gets the cash available from such donations. Where is the logic in allowing a media organisation to manage such funds? Who will monitor its management? Are you really sure media organisations can perform in a just manner? Dr Chua mentioned that accountability of such media organisations should not be questioned as they have helped patients before!. I have never heard such irresponsibile and naive remarks before! Proof to the people that media organisations have no hidden agendas and can be fully trusted. They are after all profit and private organisations and will have certain vested interests.

“Bureaucracy must be at a minimum in health matters for quick decisions and treatment,” Dr Chua continued! This has nothing to do with bureaucracy. Patients have always been treated according to the urgency of individual cases. There is no bureaucracy! This only opens the door for non-urgent cases to gate crash. So now the media decides on which patient they feel needs urgent treatment and thus a media highlight. This is unacceptable.

The MOH should set up an independant , non profit organisation to run this donation campaign. Such organisation can then liase with the press and the MOH to ensure patients needing urgent donations can be suitably addressed.

The immaturity of Datuk Dr Chua's administration is showing. This decision is regrettable and will not augur well for the future of healthcare in Malaysia. In chess terms, he has sacrifised the queen to save a pawn!

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