According to the Minister of Health, Dr. Zaliha Mustafa, she went to the emergency unit in Tengku Ampuan Rahimah Hospital (HTAR) for a ‘spot check’ visit.
These days, many ministers are going ‘undercover’ to surveil the operational management of an institution. For example, the Minister of Transport, Anthony Loke went in disguise several times to inspect and observe the system in LRT Kelana Jaya, KTM, and KLIA2.
It looks like Dr. Zaliha joined the ‘trend’ by making a surprise inspection at HTAR!
Dr. Zaliha blended well with the public
In a tweet shared by Ianiske (@ansaleya), they said,
Okay, I’ve checked. It’s really [Dr. Zaliha] at HTAR the last [two nights]. HAHA
Who would notice if she came unnoticed and looked like other patients too? No wonder she was talking to some people. No one even suspected it was the Minister of Health.
In the following tweet, they added,
I agree with our minister’s move to visit the hospital during peak hours. Please help. My parents have to constantly visit the government hospital. However, governmental facilities are still lacking in many things. [For example] it takes a long time to be called into the room, the hospital parking space etc. [I] hope the current minister will look into this issue and solve it.
The surprise visit was to gather info from the public
Dr. Zaliha wanted to get feedback from patients regarding the services in HTAR. Also, she wanted to inspect the issue of the long waiting time at the emergency unit.
From the feedback, many patients told her the waiting time could be improved.
Not only that, but she also received suggestions from HTAR’s emergency unit staff to improve the healthcare services.
Therefore, Dr. Zaliha would solidify the initiative taken by HTAR previously and see if it fits with other emergency units.
One of the initiatives is to prepare a ward specified for stabilised patients expected to discharge in two to three days (short stay ward). Next is the use of digital technology to manage the bed. Last but not least, to enhance the communication system between the hospital’s staff with the primary clinic’s staff.
Dr. Zaliha open-heartedly accepted any suggestion. She will bring them all for a meeting with MoH to improve the waiting time in the emergency unit.
We hope Dr. Zaliha and MoH’s efforts will make a difference in the healthcare services in Malaysia.
Sources: Twitter Ianiske, Facebook Dr. Zaliha Mustafa, Twitter Dr. Zaliha Mustafa