Building A Better Healthcare System
By James Kon

Bandar Seri Begawan - To provide guaranteed quality health services and patient care that are effective, comprehensive, systematic and predictable, the Ministry of Health is currently moving toward institutionalising quality assurance in all services provided by departments under it.

This was stated by Pehin Dato Paduka Awang Haji Hazair bin Haji Abdullah, Acting Minister of Health, during the launching ceremony of orientation courses for new nurses 2005. The event was held at Multipurpose Hall, Ministry of Health, yesterday morning.

Through comprehensive quality assurance, the Ministry of Health will be able to raise confidence and satisfaction of clients, increase efficiency and effectiveness, identify consistency in providing services, avoid wastage of resources and ensure systematic planning, he added.

The Acting Minister of Health said in order to raise the role and quality of services for nurses as support staff in providing health services and patient care, the Ministry of Health is concentrating its efforts on increasing the amount of nurses with specialty areas through advance diploma courses, degrees or further studies courses within the country or overseas.

Within five years, from 2005 to 2009, around 150 nurses are expected to join these courses. He added that to chose a career as a nurse is not an easy decision for any individual to make because the nursing profession is very challenging and requires full commitment with sacrifices made in terms of mental, emotional, physical and time.

From the perspective of a hospital's organisation, nurses play an important and crucial task as the "glue" that binds the hospital as a whole.

This is because nurses are the primary health care professionals that always interact with patients, while providing 24 hours, seven days a week, healthcare to patients at the hospital, he added

Capping off his speech, the acting minister advised new nurses to uphold their responsibilities in providing excellent healthcare services fuelled by professionalism at all times.

He urged them to make full use of their nursing studies, knowledge, practices learned during their time at the Nursing College and internship at hospitals and health centre, to treat patients.

Also present at the opening ceremony were Dato Paduka Awang Serbini bin Haji Ali, Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of Health, Pg Haji Mohiddin bin Pg Badarudin, Director of Finance and Administrative as well as other senior official from the Ministry of Health.

A total of 61 nurses joined the orientation course for new nurses in 2005. Activities planned for the nine-day orientation course include briefings, team-building exercises, visits to various specialists departments and so on. -- Courtesy of Borneo Bulletin

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