Commemorating our doctors on their special day

Doctors Day was first launched in Malaysia by the Federation of Private Medical Associations of Malaysia (FPMPAM) on 10 October 2014.

The day started with a community service project, which included health screenings, an exhibition and a blood and organ donation drive at Aeon Mall Kinta City in Ipoh, followed by interstate games, a public forum on “Stress and drugs,” talks. on Citizen Action in Emergency Response (CARE) at home and insulin therapy, and culminated with a dinner.

The purpose of the day is to establish closer links between patients and their doctors, and to recognize the contributions of doctors to the lives of people and communities.

Different countries, different dates

Doctors’ Day was first launched in 1933 in Winder, Georgia, USA, by Eudora Brown Almond, wife of Dr. Charles Almond, and the Auxiliary of the Barrow County Medical Society (ABCMS).

The date chosen was March 30, which was the day Dr. Crawford W. Long first used ether anesthesia in a surgery in Jefferson, Georgia, in 1842.

The ABCMS stated that the object of the day “is the well-being and honor of the profession, its observance requiring some act of kindness, gift or tribute in memory of the doctors”.

The United States House of Representatives passed a resolution in 1958 to celebrate Doctors’ Day, and the United States Congress declared March 30 its National Doctors’ Day in 1990.

The latter was promulgated by then US President George HW Bush on October 30, 1990.

Traditionally, a card or red carnation is sent to doctors and their spouses, along with a flower that is placed on the graves of deceased doctors.

Since 2014, the FPMPAM annually celebrates Doctors’ Day.

The Malaysian Medical Association, supported by the Ministry of Health, followed suit in 2020.

Many countries celebrate Doctors’ Day. However, the date varies as you can see in the US and Malaysia.

For example, it is also 30 March in Australia, but 27 February in Vietnam, 1 May in Canada, 1 July in India, 19 August in China, 24 October in Indonesia and December 3 in Cuba.

Improvement of private healthcare

The FPMPAM is the first national medical organization to organize outreach programs to improve public health.

It is a national medical organization that includes state private medical associations.

Its membership includes the oldest medical societies in the country, of which the Penang Medical Practitioners Society (PMPS) is the oldest.

The PMPS was founded in 1932 to represent doctors in dealings with the then colonial government.

The Selangor and Kuala Lumpur Private Medical Practitioners Association was founded in 1961 to unite all private medical practitioners in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor.

Its vision is to become a platform for private professionals to voice common grievances, connect with each other and push for positive changes in the healthcare sector.

The FPMPAM, which was founded in 1989, represents the interests of private practitioners, both specialists and generalists, in interactions with the government, the Malaysian Medical Council and civil society.

It is committed to improving the quality of private health care through continuing medical education, continuing professional development of its members, ethics advocacy, and public outreach programs.

Outreach programs

The FPMPAM started its DrsWhoCare program in 2002 to give recovering drug addicts a second chance at life.

This involved doctors and experts in addiction medicine starting Malaysia’s first community-based treatment program, which was closely monitored by an Internet-based treatment registry to prevent treatment abuse.

The program soon involved hundreds of private doctors who have helped thousands of drug addicts get a second chance to get their lives back on track, reconnect with their families and become useful members of society.

This program gave rise to the Association of Addiction Medicine of Malaysia (AMAM) in 2005.

AMAM’s role is to provide training to physicians to increase the capacity of community medical treatment networks for drug addiction.

Since its formation, AMAM has functioned as a sister organization of the FPMPAM.

Meanwhile, FPMPAM’s CARE was established in 2006 in partnership with St John Ambulance Malaysia (SJAM).

CARE offers educational programs to share knowledge with healthcare professionals and the public about the proper use of cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) in emergency situations.

This was expanded to include training in the use of automated electrical defibrillators (AEDs) to provide a more comprehensive life-saving skill set.

FPMPAM’s Doctors for All Outreach Program (DRsforALL) was launched at the Orang Asli Hospital in Gombak, Selangor on 10 January 2019 by then Deputy Health Minister Dr Lee Boon Chye.

The program involves the provision of medical clinics for Orang Asli/Orang Asal in remote areas across the country.

The first of these clinics was held at a disused government clinic at Pos Lenjang, Kampung Dayok, in Jelai/Ulu Lipis, Pahang.

The use of this clinic by the FPMPAM was facilitated by Dr. Lee.

Kg Dayok clinic facilities have been expanded to provide basic emergency care with basic emergency equipment powered by a solar energy system for 24 hour functionality and telemedicine services.

Some young Orang Asli/Orang Asal (OA) have been trained through a Medic OA vocational training program that enables them to manage the clinic 24 hours a day.

All Medic OA have passed Basic Life Saving certified by the SJAM.

They are recertified annually with the aim of developing them as trainers.

Similar medical camps have also been held in Kg Cerewes, Pos Titom, Ulu Lipis, Pahang; Kota Belud, Sabah; and Tebudu, Sarawak.

FPMPAM’s vision is to ensure sustainability and empower the OA community, which despite being the original inhabitants of Malaysia, has the worst health indicators.

Contributions of doctors

Doctor’s Day is the day to spare a thought and honor those who see us through our health problems throughout the year.

Their dedication and duty, in general, has always put the patient first.

The medical profession has made important contributions to the health of individuals and communities.

Nowhere was the contribution more poignant than during the Covid-19 pandemic when some doctors made the ultimate sacrifice, namely their lives.

As such, it would be difficult for any reasonable person to understand why the employment issues of junior doctors still remain unresolved.

Dr Milton Lum is a former president of the Federation of Private Medical Associations and the Malaysian Medical Association. For more information, please email [email protected]. The views expressed do not represent those of the organizations with which the writer is associated. The information provided is for educational and communication purposes only and should not be construed as personal medical advice. The information published in this article is not intended to replace, supplant, or augment a consultation with a health professional regarding the reader’s medical care. The Star disclaims all liability for any loss, property damage or personal injury suffered directly or indirectly through reliance on this information.