KUCHING: Sarawak has taken a step closer to health autonomy with the establishment of the Sarawak Medical Committee (SMC).
Deputy Premier Datuk Dr Sim Kui Hian said the SMC would collaborate with the Malaysian Medical Council (MMC).
Set up under the Medical Act, the MMC plays a key role in the country's healthcare. Its functions include the registration and practice of medical practitioners, granting recognition to medical schools locally and abroad, and ensuring medical standards are met.
"We have informed them (MMC) that Sarawak will eventually establish its own medical council," he said during the Society of Private Medical Practitioners Sarawak's 50th Golden Anniversary Dinner at a leading hotel here last night.
Dr Sim, who is also the state public health, housing, and local government minister, added that a Sarawak Private Health Institute Master Plan would be drawn up in partnership with Universiti Malaysia Sarawak.
He urged stakeholders to contribute their ideas and input to enhance this initiative.
Earlier, the Society of Private Medical Practitioners Sarawak president Dr Liew Shan Fap urged the Health Ministry to revise and update the general practitioners' (GP) consultation fee schedule to ensure fair remuneration and long-term sustainability for primary care services.
He said the current GP consultation fee schedule, introduced in 2002 and incorporated into the Private Health Facilities and Services Act in 2006, has remained unchanged for over two decades.
"These stagnant fees threaten the sustainability of GP practices and risk compromising the quality of primary healthcare services," Dr Liew said.