Doctor-hospital bed ratio in Johor still way off MOH target - Exco

ISKANDAR PUTERI, June 30 (Bernama) -- The ratio of doctors to hospital beds in Johor is still way off the target set by the Health Ministry. 

State Health, Culture and Heritage Committee chairman Mohd Khuzzan Abu Bakar this was based on figures released by the State Statistics Department last year. 

“The doctor to population ratio is 1:1,199 while the hospital bed to population ratio stands at 1.44:1,000. 

“The figures are still not close to the Health Ministry's strategic plan under the 11th Malaysia Plan (RMK-11) targets of a doctor to population ratio of 1:400 and a hospital bed to population ratio of 2.3: 1000,” he told the state legislative assembly sitting here today.

Mohd Khuzzan was responding to questions by Ayub Jamil (BN-Rengit) who sought the latest figures concerning health services in Johor, including the number of public and private hospitals, and the number of doctors, nurses and hospital beds. 

Mohd Khuzzan said currently, there are 12 hospital government hospitals in Johor, of which six offer specialists services, while another was a psychiatric institution.  

He said at present, there are 4,068 beds in government hospitals in Johor, and 1,090 in private hospitals. 

A total of 3,145 hospital doctors are serving the 3.77 million Johor population at present, with 2,659 doctors in government hospitals and clinics while another 486 in private hospitals.

 “As for nurses, a total 8,390 are attached to government facilities while another 2,035 in private hospitals,” he said, while acknowledging that the lack of available doctors was hindering efforts to lower the doctor ratio targets set. 

“Among the measures being taken to rope in more doctors and nurses into public service is to fast track their entry and also get them on contract basis rather than wait for openings to be made available,” he said.

Mohd Khuzzan also said that the government, under the RMK-11 first rolling plan, has approved a new hospital in Pasir Gudang with the tender documentation process in progress.

Construction is scheduled to begin next year and the hospital will have 304 beds, he said. 

-- BERNAMA