LUMUT: The Perak Health Department today denied claims of overburdened workloads for medical officers in Seri Manjung Hospital, as recently reported on a website.
The department's director, Dr Feisul Idzwan Mustapha, said the frequency of on-call duties at the minor specialist hospital was comparable with other hospitals and not considered overly taxing.
He said Seri Manjung Hospital has 305 beds, with an average bed occupancy rate (BOR) of 80 to 90 per cent.
"The hospital provides 14 specialist services across various fields, including the Medical Department. Currently, this department has 30 medical officers covering four medical wards, with an average of seven medical officers assigned to each ward," he said in a statement.
Addressing claims that the Medical Department at Seri Manjung Hospital was overcrowded, Dr Feisul Idzwan said the BOR for the department this year ranged from 90 to 120 per cent.
"With this BOR, there is an average of 25 to 33 patients in each ward, meaning each medical officer typically handles three to four patients at a time.
"The frequency of active on-call duties for each medical officer is four to five times per month, while passive on-call duties, including weekends and public holidays, occurs two to three times per month.
"Nevertheless, engagement sessions between the hospital director, department heads and medical officers will continue to address any arising issue," he said.
A report, titled 'I'm Sorry We Couldn't Save Your Loved Ones - Seri Manjung Hospital Medical Officer", published on Dec 12 revealed that staff shortages at the hospital had taken a mental and physical toll on on-call medical officers.
The portal reported that on-call medical officers were responsible from 5pm to 8am the next day, during which they were required to treat at least 10 patients, with each patient's treatment taking 30 minutes to an hour.
The issue of staff shortages and heavy workloads have reportedly persisted for years without resolution, leading to skilled and capable doctors moving to the private sector or pursuing careers in other fields.