KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysian Medical Council (MMC) should set up a secure site where medical practitioners can log in and get complete details of prospective locums (a person who temporarily fulfils the duties of another), said Malaysian Medical Association (MMA).
MMA president Dr Ashok Zachariah Philip said currently general practitioners could obtain information about their potential locums’ credentials on MMC’s website, but it was still insufficient.
“There is no photographs for us to check, and the search of the medical register does not disclose the IC number.
“In most cases, the credentials are genuine and no issues arise. However occasionally forged credentials may be used and if this happens, it is difficult for the doctor employing the fraudster to detect,” he said in a statement here yesterday.
He was responding to the Health Ministry’s statement yesterday stating that four medical practitioners had been found guilty of hiring unqualified personnel to run their clinics over the past three years, the latest case being in June.
While the health of the public was very important, Ashokit said it was also important to be fair to the accused doctor.
The hiring of unqualified personnel as locums in medical clinics, which include those who do not have medical qualifications or those
who possess a medical qualification but not eligible for registration with MMC, is against the Medical Act 1971. — Bernama