KUALA LUMPUR: Johor Menteri Besar Datuk Onn Hafiz Ghazi and Health Minister Dzulkefly Ahmad are meeting today to deal with the critical manpower shortage affecting the state’s public healthcare system.
Chief Secretary to the Government Tan Sri Shamsul Azri Abu Bakar confirmed the session, following a Monday’s discussion with Onn Hafiz.
On Monday, Onn Hafiz said the issue must be addressed to reduce the strain on the public healthcare system.
He said a recent spot check at Hospital Sultan Ismail (HSI) here with state health and environment committee chairman Ling Tian Soon revealed examples where nurses were required to care for 10 to 14 patients in a single shift, far beyond the ideal nurse-to-patient ratio of 1:6 or 1:8 at most.
Onn Hafiz stressed that the state government is taking the matter seriously and will continue to provide urgent support in terms of facilities and medical resources, while also escalating the issue to the Health Ministry and other relevant agencies.
