PETALING JAYA: Malaysians are having cardiovascular diseases significantly earlier than those in other high-income nations, say medical experts tracking trends of non-communicable diseases.
The Ministry of Health is looking into delegating some of the minor surgical procedures to government clinics so as to ease the congestion at hospitals, according to Health Director-General Tan Sri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.
He recalled when officiating the 24th Family Medicine Scientific Conference, Thursday, that in the early days, primary care also involved in surgery.
“I still remember having ingrown toenail surgery and it was done by the Family Medicine Specialist.
“Not by the hospital but in the clinic,” he said, adding that back then clinics performed some procedures for lumps and bumps.
“We want to empower them back so that primary health care can manage some of the cases. Therefore, by doing so cases will not come to the hospital.”
“Otherwise, every minor surgery will come to the hospital. Thus, we can decongest some of the surgical procedures to primary care,” he said