Three teaching hospitals churn out 7,000 medical specialists - Najib

The teaching hospitals are University of Malaya Medical Centre (UMMC) in Kuala Lumpur, Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia (USM) in Kubang Kerian, Kelantan and Pusat Perubatan Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (UKM) in Cheras.

The Prime Minister said the medical experts contributed and served in Internal Medicine, Surgery, Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Orthopaedics, Otorinolaringology, Ophthalmology and Paediatrics.

"In the field of pediatrics or children, the three university teaching hospitals have produced more than 450 experts," he said in his speech when launching the Permata Children Specialist Hospital at the UKM Medical Centre, here today.

Also present was his wife, Datin Seri Rosmah Mansor, who is also the patron of PERMATA Negara.

Najib said the first Permata children specialist hospital in the country was expected to be ready in 2017 and would become another teaching hospital to train more doctors and child specialists as well as sub-specialists in the various paediatric disciplines.

The hospital will have 135 experts and medical officers as well as more than 1,700 support staff.

In addition, the Prime Minister said 12,000 medical doctors had been produced by the 17 other public and private institutions of higher learning offering medical doctor degree programmes.

Najib also said that the doctor: population ratio in the country had reached 1 doctor for every 800 residents and this was expected to reach a ratio of 1:600 in 2015, that is the standard stipulated by the World Health Organisation.

"The government has implemented a very comprehensive health service system, including rural maternity services, rural clinics, health clinics, district hospitals, general hospital and tertiary hospital like the Hospital Kuala Lumpur," he added.