Published on: Friday, March 10, 2006 |
Kota Kinabalu: The Health Ministry may appoint nurses as Directors of Hospitals, according to its Director-General Datuk Dr Haji Mohd Ismail Merican.
Suggesting this in his keynote address at the conference, he noted the importance of appreciating the nursing profession for their significant contribution to the health delivery system and the fact that they have "languished along the sidelines".
"We have and will provide nurses with more training opportunities, better promotional prospects, greater recognition as a team player, more opportunities to play a leadership role in health care programmes and activities? "If we have the right candidates, we are even willing to make them directors of hospitals. Many doctors may not be comfortable with this but I am prepared to do this in line with the recommendation of our beloved PM."
Nevertheless, he stressed, that whoever is chosen must have what it takes to lead, to inspire, to motivate and to make a difference. "Otherwise, doctors who are now assuming the position of hospital directors will tell me, 'I told you so'. And that will be the end of an opportunity for the nurses.
"So I ask you, do we have a candidate or candidates who have the necessary qualifications, attributes and credentials to take up this new challenge?" These elements will determine their position, he hinted, of two possible outcomes, "Make or break!"
As an encouragement, Dr Mohd Ismail assured that "doctors, especially specialists, are reasonable people". They are not really too concerned about who becomes the hospital director.
"They want someone who is fair, caring, who understands and reacts promptly to their professional needs, someone who is a team player and knows the importance of good clinical governance, he said.
"Perhaps this will be an opportune moment for me to talk about leadership - the importance of effective leadership, innovation and change management cannot and must not be underestimated.
"It is often said that leadership is not a right. It is a responsibility. And leadership does not mean one person doing the job. It involves teamwork and someone who can motivate, invigorate and steer the team towards one common purpose and goal.
"We know that consumers are more vocal in expressing their rights to good quality healthcare and make known their displeasure at shoddy and inefficient service they received from health care practitioners. They are increasingly empowered to articulate and question standards. They expect and demand high quality service, no more no less.
"That is why we need to find new solutions, assume new roles and responsibilities, rethink the way we work, and work outside familiar boundaries. We may have to make difficult choices and unpopular decisions and be able to defend or justify them. There is not much point in making popular decisions just to remain popular," he said.
