Don't Treat Doctors Like Dirt!

I support fully the Don't Jail Doctors Blog Campaign. Here we have a humble doctor who has been jailed on a technicality.

"Calling all doctor and student bloggers and anyone who can help. The Government has begun to arrest and jail doctors on a technicality - not registering their clinic with the PHFSA. This act treats doctors like common criminals. These are community doctors who have not committed a serious crime but instead face an incredibly harsh sentence for their technical lapse. Dr Basmullah Yusom, a family practitioner, is the first victim of this legislation. He was sentenced despite not having legal counsel representing him, despite pleading for leniency (he had wanted to sell the clinic anyway and is in financial trouble) and as he could not pay the hefty RM 120,000 fine, he is now in Kajang prison."

And you wonder why doctors don't stay in Government service and want to migrate elsewhere. Pen pushers and administrators have been making us false promises since we were housemen. Now these administrators who sit in offices have pushed through the PHFSA which now gives them the power to jail honest doctors for not paying RM1500 to register their clinics. This is above the annual practicing certificate that we renew each year.
At the same time Alternative Medicine, bomohs, sinsehs are free to carry on without any PHFSA or strict regulations. Where is the justice? Again...silence from the ministry and our new acting health minister.