It has been a few months since the Special Task Force on Agency Reform was set up to reduce overcrowding in public hospitals, and yet, the nation has not been fully briefed on its findings.
Sure, they have come to us in dribs and drabs, in response to questions in the Parliament or in reply to media queries. This is not the way to keep the people informed of a matter, in which they will play a critical part.
Yes, the public has been given a flavour of the overcrowding problem. But what is causing the crowd there? It is not as if Malaysia dished out citizenship to 10 million new migrants.
True, there are foreigners there, especially in public hospitals and clinics in big cities like Kuala Lumpur. But they are few and far between.
The bulk are Malaysians, many of whom have seen better days. It is also not because our medical staff have slowed down, fatigued by the near three years of Covid-19 pandemic.
No, not at all. They are a dedicated lot. The loved ones of patients saw for themselves how real their dedication was during these challenging and to some, tragic, years.
Those who were not there saw how real the dedication was, too, on their television screens. A few lost their lives.
Even knowing of such dangers they stayed the course. The medical staff, they, too, want to know why the hospitals are overcrowded?
Deputy Prime Minister Datuk Seri Fadillah Yusof suggested in the Parliament in February that overcrowding in public hospitals was a sign that Malaysians weren't having a healthy lifestyle.
True, but how would this help the already ill and ailing? Granted getting Malaysians to lead a healthy lifestyle would help, but this is sometime in the future.
Overcrowding is a clear and present danger. It needs to be addressed now. The people want to know the thoughts of the task force on this.
Is it a lack of manpower? If so, why put medical staff on contracts? Or worse, why put them on contract terms that are all push and no pull? Is it a 21st century anomaly to seek a career in the public service? Is it a lack of money? We sure had it, all of RM4.5 trillion until we decided to put some foxes in charge of the henhouse.
Don't say we don't have the money. Just say we let it slip away. Go find it. Or is it the lack of hospitals? Again, take the RM4.5 trillion.
As a rule of thumb, it costs about RM1 billion to build one 200-bed hospital. As there are a thousand billion in a trillion, RM4.5 trillion should give us 4,500 fully equipped 200-bed hospitals. Or is it all of the above? Just tell us. We want to know.
Perhaps the Special Task Force on Agency Reform has bitten more than it can chew.
Overcrowding in public hospitals isn't the only issue it is addressing. From dilapidated schools to outdated government services, and everything in between are in its issues bank.
Encouragingly, if we got Fadillah's answer in Parliament right, overcrowding in hospitals is, if not leading the queue, somewhere ahead. If so, what are the findings?
We think a few months to be long enough to slice a national problem as old as overcrowding in hospitals. Findings, please.