MP SPEAKS | Doctor-population ratio does not present the full picture

MP SPEAKS | The recent statement by Health Minister Dr Adham Baba that Malaysia has exceeded the World Health Organisation's (WHO) target on the ratio of doctors and nurses for universal health coverage may not paint the full picture of the reality of the ground, especially the needs of doctors in the rural areas in Sabah and Sarawak and Orang Asli settlements in West Malaysia.

To use merely ratio of doctors to patients to measure universal healthcare coverage in our country does not present the entire situation as even with a high ratio, it can also mean that there is a congestion of healthcare workers in the bigger cities, especially in the Klang Valley, but lacking in the rural areas.

The ratio basically shows the average of the whole country, but if we were to look at it at a micro-level, especially state by state, you’ll find a different picture...