Outsourcing heart surgery
posted in - Nation, - Palmdoc |Today I’d like to highlight a post at LKS’s blog on Bangalore heart trip – self-inflicted malady of Malaysian healthcare which makes interesting reading. The writer is obviously quite knowledgeable about the cardiac surgery setup in Malaysia and gives a brief wrtie-up on the history and development of heart surgery in Malaysia as well.
He does ask pertinent questions.
Why is it that after all these years we are still very short of heart surgeons in the public sector?
I think there is no answer to this until there is a total overhaul of the Malaysian healthcare system including a National Health Financing Scheme, an independent Medical services commission replacing the JPA in determining the salary and promotions of health care professionals, and the practice of true meritocracy in the MOH and the Universities. In other words, not until the cows come home.
Why do we have to “outsource” heart surgery to India when there are other solutions?
The author does have some good ideas:
1. Outsource non-blue baby and palliative surgery for blue babies to local private hospitals at a competitive price as this will be logistically more suitable for the family. Blue babies that will require complex staged surgery could perhaps be flown to Bangalore although there will be risks involved for the 3 hour flight and that perilous road journey to the Narayana itself.
2. Alternatively it could ask local surgeons or their surgical teams in “not so busy” private hospitals to operate in the Ministry’s government units so that there are savings in consumables and theater time. Since the Ministry has the infrastructure but not the staff, perioperative care could also be contracted out.
3. Or it could invite foreign surgical teams or surgeons to operate at its heart units on a regular basis to do surgery. Cases that don’t require urgent surgery could be accumulated and be done on a regular monthly basis with our local surgeons and hospital staff looking after them. It would be a good learning experience for them although cases need to be carefully chosen.
4. Or allow private hospitals to employ these foreign surgeons or teams directly and the Ministry outsources the work to these hospitals. Foreign medical staff, especially surgeons, anesthetists and cardiologists could be offered incentives like PR and citizenship etc so that they stay back in this country.
5. And importantly, the Universities and the MOH have to revise their training programs to ensure that Malaysia’s expertise in this area rises to match the number of patients in this country.
Related links:
Health Minister’s Decision To Send Patients To India For Heart Surgery – Medical Outsourcing?
Last 5 posts by Palmdoc
- How does a medical degree fare as an investment these days? - September 7th, 2010
- Do the hungry ghosts really matter? - September 6th, 2010
- Doctors gone wild again - September 1st, 2010
- Tools of the trade XIX - September 1st, 2010
- Feedback: Housemanship - August 31st, 2010
May 15th, 2008 at 8:54 am
Hi palmdoc,
You forgot to mention, that MOH must try to work along and closer with the Malaysian Private hospitals and doctors first before thinking of working with foreign hospitals and doctors. This Malaysian public / private divide must be overcome. Why not work with your locals in private practice before thinking of Bangolore?.
Anyway, good piece.