MoH hospitals clear 98 pct surgical backlogs as of last month, says Dr Noor Hisham

Dr Noor Hisham delivers his special remarks at the AFSM Tripartite Conference today. – Photo by Chimon Upon

KUCHING (Dec 14): The Ministry of Health’s (MoH) hospitals have cleared 98 per cent of surgical backlogs as of Nov 30, said Health director-general Tan Sri Datuk Seri Dr Noor Hisham Abdullah.

He said one of the immediate consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic was the backlog of elective surgical cases, with 57,355 elective backlog cases in MoH hospitals as of September last year, where 93.8 per cent were surgical-based.

“However, surgical cases from certain disciplines such as Cardiothoracic Surgery and Paediatric Surgery are still facing long waiting times due to the limited number of surgeons, nurses, paramedics, and hence operating theatre time.

“For Paediatric Surgery, most cases on the waiting list for Paediatric Surgery are hypospadias cases,” he said in his special remarks for the opening ceremony of the 2022 Academy for Silent Mentor (AFSM) Tripartite Conference on Healthcare Challenges in the 21st Century at the Borneo Convention Centre Kuching (BCCK) today.

Dr Noor Hisham said with the improved vaccination coverage of the population, Covid-19 admission rates began to reduce, which resulted in the reopening of more operating theatres (OT) and more hospital beds being made available for surgical patients.

“In addition, extended hours of OT, weekend OT, and mass surgery initiatives have been implemented to reduce the backlog cases as well as collaboration with university hospitals, armed forces hospitals, private hospitals, and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) such as Rotary Club,” he said.

On another note, Dr Noor Hisham said the provision of healthcare for urgent emergencies and trauma cases in remote and rural environments remains a challenge faced by Malaysia and many parts of the world, especially developing nations.

“I am pleased that the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh (RCSEd) and the AFSM have identified this as another healthcare challenge in the 21st century.

“The Ministry of Health has a wealth of experience, expertise, and innovations on this subject, and we are pleased to contribute to the Remote, Rural, and Urgent Healthcare Symposium and workshops,” he said.

Dr Noor Hisham further noted that a topic related to urgent healthcare challenges is aortic dissection.

“I am delighted that RCSEd and the MATCVS organising an Aortic Dissection Symposium where experts from around the world will be able to learn from each other and increase awareness of this very serious condition.

“It is important that we identify and manage it early as possible. With the advent of new surgical and endovascular techniques, the mortality rates of aortic dissection can be lowered,” he said, adding that he hopes the three-day conference will serve as a platform to exchange scientific ideas and inspire new research and contacts for future collaborations.

The 2022 AFSM Tripartite Conference is jointly organised by the AFSM, RCSEd, MoH, the College of Surgeons Academy of Medicine of Malaysia (CSAMM), the Malaysian Association for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgery (MATCVS), and Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas).

More than 400 participants have registered for the conference, which will take place simultaneously in three different symposium halls at BCCK.

It was officiated at by Deputy Premier Dato Seri Dr Sim Kui Hian, who is also Public Health, Housing and Local Government Minister.

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