4 medical experts in the running for health DG post
PETALING JAYA : Four medical professionals are being considered for the position of health director-general, which has been vacant since Dr Radzi Abu Hassan retired.
Radzi, who held the post from April 2023, reached the mandatory retirement age of 60 earlier this month.
Sources told FMT that four medical professionals are being considered for the post; deputy director general Dr Nor Fariza Ngah (research and technical support), deputy health director (medicine) Dr Nor Azimi Yunus, head of cardiothoracic surgery Dr Basheer Ahamed Abdul Kareem and Kuala Lumpur Hospital director Dr R Harikrishna Nair.
Drs Fariza and Nor Azimi are both expected to retire next year, while Dr Basheer and Dr Harikrishna have about five years of their tenure remaining.
Health minister Dzulkefly Ahmad is expected to seek Cabinet approval for the appointment soon.
Nor Farizah is a senior consultant ophthalmologist and currently chairs the National Specialist Registrar's (NSR) ophthalmology sub-committee.
Basheer is currently the health ministry's head of cardiothoracic surgery and heads the department at the Penang Hospital. He is also the current serving president of the Malaysian Association for Thoracic and Cardiovascular Surgeons.
Harikrishna has been instrumental in the successful implementation of the KL Hospital's 365-day transformation plan and has been a pioneer in the area of wound care.
Nor Azimi gained widespread recognition for her impactful policies when serving as Terengganu's health director. She is known to be a firm, decisive and effective leader.
The incoming director-general will need to tackle a number of longstanding challenges in the public health sector.
These include issues surrounding recognition of parallel pathway specialists, contract doctors, ward nurses' 45-hour workweek, and the exodus of doctors and nurses from government service.
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