MSAR 15th ANNIVERSARY | Waiting for the ‘brightest era’ in healthcare services

An artist rendition of the future Taipa hospital

Delays in the building of projected healthcare facilities, a lack of human resources and long waiting lists characterize the current health system in Macau, but the government has promised that the sector will have its “brightest era” yet during the next five years.
The pledge was recently made by the next Secretary for Social Affairs and Culture, Alexis Tam, during the presentation of the new government. However, Tam didn’t disclose any specific goals or measures that he intends to set to the executive’s end of term in 2020.
The president of the Association of Macau Portuguese Speaking Physicians, Rui Furtado, says that Alexis Tam’s intention “is good and matches the people’s desire.” But, he adds, there is a lot more to do if the region wants to have quality healthcare.
According to the physician, the fundamental area to allocate resources to is long-term care.  The former surgery department head at the Conde de São Januário Central Hospital believes that the region needs to have more centers to assist the elderly population and the chronically ill. Those centers would work as a “backline” preventing unnecessary hospital visits.
Commenting on the developments made locally in healthcare, Rui Furtado highlights that there are positive results from the anti-smoking campaign and regulations. Another area with a positive note is the fight against transmissible diseases, particularly dengue fever.
“When there was a crisis the response was steadfast, which demonstrates that public health is in good shape,” Dr Furtado says, adding that patients are generally satisfied with primary care services. But the same can’t be said about medical specialization: “Up to three or four years ago, the surgery department at the central hospital was seen as top notch, with optimal results. We were pioneers in endoscopic surgery, but now we are lagging behind and the hospitals that introduced robotics are ahead of us.” Dr Furtado attributes the fact to a lack of planning and disagrees with the option to “invest massively” in the emergency services unit, thus creating “a white elephant and obstructing service outcomes, since more patients are admitted and the hospital has no infrastructure to assist properly.”
“The patient is admitted to the emergency services, observed and, since there is no place for them, stays there [in the emergency ward] waiting. Many patients are admitted and remain in the emergency ward for five or six days,” Dr Furtado adds. Looking ahead, the surgeon admits that its feasible to create the infrastructure needed to cater for 631,000 habitants and 30 million tourists per year. The hardest part is human resources: “Within two years Macau can have the number of [hospital] beds required to be a world center of tourism and leisure, but lacks doctors and nurses [in those medical facilities].”
Florence Van, who heads the Nursing School at Kiang Wu hospital, says that the number of nurses remains low and that the opening of more vacancies hasn’t been enough to satisfy demand.
But the nurse stresses the achievements obtained during the last fifteen years, namely a higher rate of life expectancy and less cases of infant mortality. Like the president of the Association of Macau Portuguese Speaking Physicians, Ms Van also thinks that more care should be provided to the elderly, since 20.8 percent of the population is aged above 55.
Florence Van emphasizes the importance of opening the second public hospital as soon as possible to assist the population that lives beyond the Macau peninsula.
According to the latest Health Bureau announcement, the first phase of the future Taipa hospital will be ready in 2017. The hospital project has suffered several delays and the plan has been criticized both by lawmakers and public opinion. MDT/Lusa

continuous training needed

Rui Furtado doesn’t advocate for the creation of a Medical degree program in Macau because, he says, the biggest problem here is the lack of continuous training and post-graduate studies. In April the Health Bureau announced a plan to raise the qualification threshold for becoming a doctor in Macau. The bureau would require holders of a bachelor’s degree in medicine to go through a one-year internship period before they can apply for a license and practice medicine. Before the announcement, those who held a medical degree could immediately apply to practice in Macau without participating in any internship program.