Allow local professionals to implement quality systems

NST

I NOTED the letter by P. George of Johor Baru,"Seek world-class recognition" (NST June 29).

He advocates government and private hospitals seeking recognition from the Joint Commission International (JCI), a hospital accreditation body based in the United States.

He seems to imply that in hospitals with such accreditation, cases of apparent medical negligence may be reduced.

Hospitals are dangerous places. Welcome announcements to a hospital may sound like this: "Welcome to Hospital XYZ. There is a two per cent chance that you may acquire a life-threatening infection during your stay in this hospital.

"There is a one per cent chance that your baby may be admitted after delivery etc, etc". Frightening but true in some hospitals!
It is impossible to estimate the frequency of medical mistakes, but there can be no doubt that mistakes are more common than most of us realise.

The only published information available comes from the US.

A study conducted in California in 1974 concluded that three million hospital admissions led to 140,000 injuries, giving an incidence of 4.7 per cent.

Another review (Harvard Medical Practice Study, 1990) conducted in New York concluded that 2.7 million hospital admissions led to 98,600 adverse events, giving an incidence rate of 3.7 per cent.

With five million hospital admissions a year in England alone, this might mean almost 200,000 medical accidents in English hospitals.

In Australia, 16.6 per cent of hospital admissions had an associated adverse event.

The medical profession in Malaysia has also realised that we need to learn from our mistakes and, more importantly, prevent similar events from occurring in hospitals.

Hospitals have been urged to set up quality and audit systems and institutionalise them by applying for accreditation and ISO certification.

Malaysia has its own Malaysian Society for Quality in Health (MSQH), the only body that is recognised to carry out hospital accreditation.

It is a vigorous and thorough exercise which checks that hospitals have systems in place that emphasise patient safety and medical audits.

The exercise is based on international standards with local modifications.

The MSQH is affiliated to the International Society for Quality in Health (ISQua) and is now in the process of forming ASQua (the Asian equivalent).

It is to be noted that Singapore does not have its own national accrediting body and that is why it depends on JCI for hospital accreditation.

Eighty-eight Malaysian hospitals have undergone the first cycle accreditation survey (each cycle is three years). Thirty-five hospitals are into the second cycle and seven are in the third cycle.

The Health Ministry has emphasised that only accredited hospitals will take part in health tourism promotions.

We need not look far to ensure that our hospitals are safe and not ailing.

Let us support our own professional bodies in their efforts at accreditation and implementing quality systems. We should support local solutions for local problems.

Education D-G to take up Seameo post

The Star

PUTRAJAYA: Education director-general Datuk Dr Ahamad Sipon will be the next director of the South-East Asian Ministers of Education Organisation (Seameo) Secretariat in Bangkok.

He will be retiring as director-general on July 15 and taking up the new post early next year.

Dr Ahamad: Started his career in education 30 years ago

“Although we will soon be losing a person of great capability in the field of education, I believe the Seameo secretariat in Bangkok will become more successful under Dr Ahamad’s management,” said Deputy Education Minister Datuk Hon Choon Kim at the ministry’s monthly meeting here yesterday.

He added that Dr Ahamad had contributed much to the ministry and chalked up many achievements as director-general.

When contacted, the director-general declined to comment on his coming retirement and new role in Seameo, saying he would speak on these matters to the press later.

Dr Ahamad started his career in education 30 years ago when he became a lecturer at the Ungku Omar Polytechnic in Ipoh in 1975.

The posts he had held in the ministry before his appointment as director-general in February 2005 include Polytechnic Management Division director and deputy director-general (technical)

He obtained his doctorate in technical and vocational education from the Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in the United States.

On another matter, Hon said the ministry was focusing on developing human capital this month, the second thrust under the National Education Blueprint 2006-2010.

He said the ministry had planned about 90 activities to be implemented nationwide as part of Fitness Month, launched last Saturday in line with this month’s focus.

“We have also realised how important Rimup (the Student Integration Plan for Unity) is for developing human capital. If Malaysia wants to prosper, we have to unite all races in this country,” he added.

The other five thrusts under the blueprint are nation-building, strengthening national schools, narrowing the education gap, improving the teaching profession and accelerating excellence at educational institutions.

Dewan Rakyat: 617 govt employees held over corruption

NST

A TOTAL of 617 government employees from various departments were picked up for corruption between 2005 and April this year by the Anti-Corruption Agency, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badawi said.

During the same period, 304 other employees were prosecuted for various offences, he said in a written reply to a question from Datuk Ismail Sabri Yaakob (BN-Bera).

"Of the number detained, 394 or 63.9 per cent were law enforcement personnel, while 169 or 55.6 per cent of the enforcement personnel have been prosecuted."

Ismail had asked the prime minister to state the number of government servants, particularly in the enforcement section, who had been arrested and charged under the Anti-Corruption Act and the details according to their designations.

Abdullah said members of the police force comprised the biggest number of law enforcement personnel detained and charged, with 296 arrests and 128 of the cases brought to court.
Next, came employees in local authorities, with 36 arrested and 16 charged; Customs Department (20 arrested, seven charged); Road Transport Department (17 arrested, nine charged); Immigration Department (13 arrested, four charged); and, other departments (12 arrested, five charged), he added.

Abdullah said though the percentages of law enforcement personnel arrested and charged were high, various other factors had to be considered, such as the high number of personnel, financial allocation, jurisdiction and activities entrusted to the agencies involved. — Bernama

CUEPACS tolak peperiksaan PTK

Utusan Online

Oleh HATA WAHARI

KUALA LUMPUR 1 Julai – Kongres Kesatuan Pekerja Di Dalam Perkhidmatan Awam (CUEPACS) menerima pelaksanaan sistem Penilaian Tahap Kecekapan (PTK) untuk menilai kecekapan kakitangan perkhidmatan awam tetapi menolak sistem peperiksaannya.

Presidennya, Omar Osman berkata, kongres tersebut mahu sistem tersebut diganti dengan cara penilaian baru yang lebih berkesan.

‘‘Mesyuarat Kongres CUEPACS hari ini bersetuju untuk menerima sistem PTK tetapi menolak pelaksanaan sistem itu melalui peperiksaan seperti yang dilaksanakan sekarang,’’ katanya.

Beliau berkata demikian kepada pemberita selepas mempengerusikan mesyuarat Kongres Khas CUEPACS di Wisma CUEPACS di sini, hari ini.

Omar memberitahu, CUEPACS telah menubuhkan satu jawatankuasa khas yang dipengerusikan oleh beliau untuk menghantar cadangan baru kepada Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) mengenai mekanisme yang boleh digunakan untuk melaksanakan PTK.

Ujar beliau, jawatankuasa khas itu akan bermesyuarat Jumaat ini dan menghantar cadangan tersebut kepada JPA sebelum 25 Julai untuk diperhalusi.

‘‘CUEPACS menerima saranan JPA, PTK perlu diteruskan, namun kami tidak berpuas hati dengan penambahbaikan yang dibuat oleh jabatan itu kerana ia tidak mencapai matlamatnya.

‘‘Kami mahu sistem pelaksanaan PTK digantikan dengan pakej baru yang diselaraskan dengan aspek pembangunan modal insan dan kualiti kerja,’’ katanya.

Omar menambah, CUEPACS juga mahukan pegawai serta kakitangan yang telah lulus aras empat dalam peperiksaan PTK sebelum ini diberikan anjakan gaji serta dipertimbangkan untuk kenaikan pangkat.

Sementara itu, mengenai gaji baru pegawai dan kakitangan perkhidmatan awam, beliau memberitahu, pada masa ini tidak berlaku sebarang masalah dari segi pelaksanaannya.

Perdana Menteri pada 21 Mei lepas mengumumkan kenaikan gaji baru kakitangan kerajaan yang membabitkan kenaikan gaji antara 7.5 peratus dan 35 peratus bermula bulan ini.

Omar berkata, semua pelaksanaan gaji baru dalam sektor awam berjalan baik setakat ini cuma ada masalah dari segi kenaikan yang tidak seimbang dalam Gred DG 32 dan Gred DG41.

‘‘Perkara ini telah dirujuk kepada JPA dan ia akan diselesaikan dalam tempoh terdekat,’’ katanya.

Mengenai pelaksanaan gaji baru Angkatan Tentera Malaysia (ATM), beliau berkata, terdapat kekeliruan kerana anggota-anggota pangkat bawahan merupakan Kumpulan Sokongan 1 yang hanya mendapat kenaikan gaji 25 peratus dan bukan 35 peratus.

Omar memberitahu, anggota pangkat rendah ATM menerima kenaikan gaji 20 peratus sebelum ini dan mereka telah diberi peningkatan gred iaitu dari Kumpulan Sokongan 2 kepada Kumpulan Sokongan 1.

Tegasnya, apa yang dilaksanakan oleh Majlis ATM adalah tepat berdasarkan kepada pekeliling JPA.

Mengenai Tabung Amal Pegawai dan Kakitangan Awam, Omar memberitahu, tabung itu akan diwujudkan awal tahun depan selepas segala persoalan mengenai undang-undang diperhalusi.

Jelas beliau, CUEPACAS perlu berhati-hati dalam mengumpulkan dana kakitangan awam memandangkan ia membabitkan peruntukan undang-undang.

‘‘CUEPACS jangka tabung itu akan dapat dilaksanakan pada 2008 dan telah bersetuju semua pegawai dan kakitangan awam menyumbang RM1 sebulan,’’ katanya.

‘Guru Kampung’ hanya bernasib baik

Berita Harian

MERUJUK kepada surat ‘Guru Kampung’ dari Temerloh, Pahang pada 22 Jun lalu, saya mengucapkan tahniah kerana anda adalah antara guru yang beruntung mendapat durian runtuh kenaikan gaji.

Anda mula berkhidmat pada 1997, mendapat ‘time-based’ GD32 dan menikmati gaji baru RM2,416.

Memang sepatutnya anda bersyukur dan semestinya anda perlu meningkatkan komitmen sebagai pendidik yang mengutamakan keikhlasan bekerja berbanding imbuhan.

Apalagi anda tinggal di kampung, dengan pendapatan setinggi itu memang cukup selesa.

Berbanding dengan saya yang mula berkhidmat pada 1994 di sekolah bandar, kemudian menyambung pelajaran melalui Pendidikan Jarak Jauh (PJJ) dan dilantik ke DG41 pada 2004. Saya lulus Ujian Penilaian Tahap Kecekapan (PTK) DG41 dan mendapat markah lebih 90 peratus tiga tahun berturut-turut dan kini dengan kenaikan baru DG41 sebanyak 15 peratus dan gaji saya cuma RM2,232.

Saya perlu menunggu enam tahun lagi untuk memohon ‘time-based’ DG44 sedangkan umur saya sudah lebih 40 tahun. Saya pernah menerima anugerah cemerlang dan anak didik saya ramai melanjutkan pelajaran dan mendapat pekerjaan.

Itu bukti kejayaan dan keikhlasan yang memberi kepuasan cukup bermakna kepada saya.

Guru DG41 yang menyuarakan ketidakpuasan gaji DG41 lebih rendah bukan bermaksud guru itu tiada keikhlasan mengajar atau hanya mementingkan wang ringgit dan imbuhan.

Pada pandangan saya, tidak salah jika menyuarakan hak kita untuk memperbaiki kelemahan sedia ada agar pihak bertanggungjawab dapat memperbaikinya sebelum keadaan menjadi lebih tidak profesional.

Siapalah kita untuk menentukan keikhlasan mengajar seseorang guru. Sepatutnya sebagai pendidik, kita perlu memahami masalah rakan seperjuangan dan mengetahui kekeliruan ini dengan mendalam sebelum membuat kenyataan yang boleh menyinggung rakan kita sendiri.

Kita hanya hamba Allah yang daif keikhlasan seseorang guru bukan kita yang menentukan.

Keikhlasan dan perjuangan dua keadaan berbeza. Sekurang-kurangnya tugas guru DG41 memperjuangkan nasib mereka dengan memberitahu perkara sebenar, selebihnya terpulanglah kepada pihak yang berkenaan sama ada mahu mendengar atau membiarkan saja kelemahan itu terus berlalu.

Tugas itu satu amanah dan saya percaya Jabatan Perkhidmatan Awam (JPA) dan Kementerian Pelajaran pasti tidak mahu isu ini berlarutan dan sedang berusaha mencari jalan penyelesaian.

Kepada ‘Guru Kampung’, memang bersyukur jika menjadi guru kampung yang kos kehidupan tidak tinggi dan tidak perlu membayar hutang kerana menyambung pelajaran. Tetapi tolong fahami masalah orang lain yang nasibnya tidak sebaik anda.

GURU BANDAR,
Kota Kinabalu, Sabah.

Cola tidak sama di Terengganu

Berita Harian

SAYA ingin merakamkan ucapan setinggi-tinggi penghargaan dan terima kasih kepada kerajaan kerana menaikkan gaji termasuk Elaun Sara Hidup (Cola) bagi semua kakitangan kerajaan berkuat kuasa, 1 Julai ini.

Bagaimanapun didapati pembayaran Cola bagi Terengganu adalah tidak sama jumlahnya antara daerah di negeri ini.

Bagi kakitangan kerajaan yang bekerja di daerah Kuala Terengganu dan Kemaman dibayar Cola kadar lama sebanyak RM100, manakala bagi lima lagi daerah lain, Cola dibayar RM50, juga kadar lama.

Saya merayu kepada kerajaan supaya mengkaji semula kadar pembayaran Cola di Terengganu dan memohon supaya semua kakitangan kerajaan dibayar sama rata RM100 bagi semua daerah. Ini adalah kerana harga barang yang dijual di daerah adalah lebih tinggi daripada Kuala Terengganu.

Kebanyakan aktiviti perniagaan berpusat di Kuala Terengganu dan sebarang barang sama ada makanan, pakaian, keperluan dapur, elektrik dan lain-lain semuanya terlebih dulu di kumpulkan di Kuala Terengganu sebelum diedarkan ke daerah lain.

Keadaan ini menyebabkan berlaku sedikit perbezaan harga sama ada bagi barangan atau perkhidmatan antara daerah Kuala Terengganu dengan daerah lain.

Penduduk yang tinggal di luar Kuala Terengganu terpaksa berbelanja lebih untuk mendapatkan perkhidmatan terbaik dan berkualiti. Sebagai contoh hospital induk dan beberapa jabatan kerajaan hanya terdapat di Kuala Terengganu.

Untuk menonton perlawanan bola sepak Piala Malaysia dan lain-lain persembahan hiburan pun mereka terpaksa ke Kuala Terengganu, malah, lapangan terbang dan stesen bas utama pun beroperasi di Kuala Terengganu.

Rumah sewa di daerah kecil dan di kawasan terpencil juga mahal kerana tidak banyak rumah yang ada disebabkan kurang permintaan.

Lagipun kebanyakan rumah kurang selesa dan tidak sepadan dengan sewa dikenakan.

Kami berharap kerajaan menimbang menaikkan kadar Cola daripada RM50 kepada RM100 (kadar lama) bagi semua kakitangan kerajaan yang bekerja di semua daerah di Terengganu

Saya yakin dengan kenaikan Cola ini tidak akan membebankan kewangan kerajaan kerana bilangan kakitangan yang bekerja di daerah berkenaan tidaklah sebesar mana pun berbanding dengan Kuala Terengganu dan Kemaman.

KAKITANGAN KERAJAAN,
Terengganu.

Nurses are highly-trained professionals

The Star

WHILE I agree with Deputy Health Minister Datuk Dr Abdul Latiff Ahmad’s recommendation that more nurses should go for postgraduate training, I respectfully object to his contrasting “mature and responsible nurses with those joining the profession after their SPM,” (The Star, June 30).

Perhaps it was unintentional, but this seems to imply that nurses who began their training with only an SPM qualification are immature and irresponsible.

I have a few older relatives and one friend who became trainee nurses after secondary school.

My classmate is not only the most hardworking person I know. She is also compassionate and intelligent.

Although she did not perform brilliantly in school as she came from a disadvantaged background, she always grasped concepts very quickly when explained.

She went into nursing because she wanted to help people, despite her parents’ opposition.

When I told her that nurses could make a lot of money by emigrating to western countries, she responded “Tujuan saya jadi jururawat bukan sebab nak jadi kaya (I didn’t become a nurse to get rich).”

Let us also remember that the Asian stigma against nurses as having low or dirty jobs is one of the major factors driving them out of our country, the Philippines, India, etc. to western countries where they are more appreciated by society, in addition to the better financial compensation.

Nurses are highly-trained professionals who operate under conditions of great stress and we should honour them for it – with or without a postgraduate degree.

HWA SHI-HSIA,

Madison, Wisconsin, US.

Health Ministry plans to revert to five-day work week

The Star

IT MAY soon be a thing of the past for civil servants in government hospitals to enjoy their current five-day week.

Sin Chew Daily reported that the Health Ministry was planning to revert the existing system to a six-day week in view of manpower shortage in government hospitals.

Since the implementation of five-day week last year, Health Minister Datuk Seri Chua Soi Lek said it took a longer time for patients to receive treatment or undergo surgeries.

He also said the implementation had slowed down the hospitals’ operations.

Chua stressed that if the current situation did not improve, he was prepared to bring the matter to the Cabinet for discussion.

The daily also reported that administrative staff in the police force were involved in crime prevention.

This showed that the police were serious in combating crime, according to Kuala Lumpur deputy CID chief Asst Comm Khaw Kok Chin.

He said while the police were trying hard to contain crime, the public should also be involved in crime prevention efforts.

He said the ratio of one policeman to 669 people in the city clearly showed the lack of manpower in the police force.

Hamdan: Offer pensioners credit cards

The Star

KOTA KINABALU: Financial institutions in the country should also make available credit cards for pensioners, said human rights and consumer activist Prof Datuk Dr Hamdan Adnan.

He said it was not right to deny them credit card facilities and hoped Bank Negara would look into the matter.

“With a monthly pension of RM3,000 in my case, I have personally visited more than 10 banks to apply for credit cards but all have turned me down. Some bank managers even laughed at me when they came to know that I am a pensioner but was applying for credit cards,” he said.

According to him, it was “unacceptable” for banks to fear that pensioners might not be able to pay their credit card bills. – Bernama

Cuepacs insists on wanting assessment scrapped

The Star

KUALA LUMPUR: Cuepacs will still submit a proposal to the Government to abolish the Efficiency Level Assessment (PTK) test for civil servants despite the Public Service Department having rejected an earlier request.

Cuepacs president Omar Osman said it would submit the proposal to the Chief Secretary to the Government within the next 14 days.

“We have agreed that there should be an assessment for civil servants but their level of competence should not be based on tests as currently practised.

“This is because the tests are only in favour of higher ranking officers. We do not want any more assessments based on tests.

“In the proposal, we will be suggesting methods that can be used to assess civil servants,” he said during a press conference after chairing a special congressional meeting, which was attended by more than 900 members here yesterday.

He also said Cuepacs, which represents most of the 1.2 million civil servants in the country, plans to set up a fund to help those in need.

If the constitution allows it, then RM1 will be deducted monthly from civil servants' salaries.