KUALA LUMPUR: Former Health Minister Khairy Jamaluddin’s allegation that administrative and diplomatic officers (PTDs) are only “looking at Excel spreadsheets” and lacking a practical understanding of hospital operations is baseless and does not reflect the actual government policy-making process.
In refuting the allegation, Administrative and Diplomatic Officers Alumni Association (PPTD) president Datuk Awang Alik said that PTDs always play a professional role, based on data, and take into account operational reality when formulating and implementing national policies.
In fact, he said PTDs have long been a cornerstone in developing key national policies, including in the health sector.
“The success of Malaysia’s public health system, which is internationally recognised, is the result of close collaboration between health professionals and PTDs in ensuring that the policies introduced are balanced and sustainable.
“The allegation that PTDs fail to understand the challenges in the health sector is not only unfair but also does not reflect the true reality of government administration,” he said in a statement today.
Yesterday, Khairy, in the ‘Keluar Sekejap’ podcast, attributed the failure of the Waktu Bekerja Berlainan (WBB) system for healthcare workers to a gap in understanding among bureaucrats at the Ministry of Health (MOH) regarding the reality of medical practice.
Khairy reportedly blasted the decision-making process, saying that it was made by civil servants who lacked a practical understanding of hospital operations.
Elaborating, Awang said that the proposed implementation of the WBB system was not done arbitrarily, but instead through comprehensive engagement sessions with various stakeholders, including medical officers, hospital administrators, and healthcare workers’ unions.
He stressed that it was also guided by in-depth studies and international best practices, which take into account the well-being of medical officers without compromising the efficiency of healthcare service delivery.
“As trained civil servants in policy development, PTDs are responsible for ensuring that decisions are made based on evidence and thorough research.
“Indeed, every new policy implementation will face challenges and have room for improvement, but it is unfair to solely point the finger at the PTDs without considering the entire process and the factors that influence the implementation of a policy,” he said.
According to Awang, the MOH had previously clarified that the WBB shift system was developed by doctors for doctors, and was not unilaterally decided by the PTDs in Putrajaya.
As such, he said that the allegation that PTDs did not understand the reality of the healthcare sector is inaccurate as the role of PTDs is to ensure that the policy is implemented effectively within the broader framework of national administration.
“As a conclusion, the PPTD urges all parties to better understand the policy-formulation process first before making statements that could mislead the public.
“The cooperation of all stakeholders, including medical officers and PTDs is key in ensuring that any policy introduced truly benefits all parties without compromising the quality of the country’s public services,” he added.
The Cabinet had, on Jan 24, decided to shelve the implementation of the WBB pilot project to make way for a more in-depth and comprehensive study.
